Potential implications for telecare users

Sir, – Congratulations on highlighting the issue of nuisance calls in Monday’s edition of the paper.

I have been signed up to TPS for some years and it has worked really well in stopping calls from UK-based companies but, of course, it cannot block the nuisance marketing/scam calls originating from outside the UK.

These show up on caller ID as “international” or occasionally “unavailable”.

They seem to be automatically dialled and are invariably silent.

From time to time I have to suffer a blizzard of these, often up to four or more a day during these periods when my number is being targeted. I suspect this happens on a random basis.

As for having to prove that distress is being caused, I have periodically tried to draw the attention of my telephone provider – and more recently my MP – to the fact that some of these calls cannot be disconnected by hanging up the phone.

The line continues to be engaged for a time and this has potentially serious implications for the increasing numbers of subscribers who are linked to community alarms or some form of telecare.

Apart from companies trying to sell equipment which purports to block such calls, no one, including the telephone providers, seems interested in addressing this problem. Hazel Carnegie. 101 Jesmond Road, Aberdeen.