The company says it expects to double its workforce within a year

Staff are being taken on in Plymouth by new company The Number 118-118 and will start work in mid-June.

The company is setting up a directory enquiry service at Langage Business Park to compete with British Telecom's old 192 service, which is being deregulated.

It says it expects to double the number of people it employs in the city within a year.

The company is one of a number nationally vying to attract customers to its directory enquiry service.

From August, customers wanting a telephone number will have a plethora of companies to choose from - all starting with the prefix 118.

Company chief executive officer Chris Moss said: "These new services are not just about giving out phone numbers.

Call centre staff will start work at Langage Business Park in mid-June

"They can be about giving out travel directions, telling you what is on at the cinema - a whole range of activities you have not even thought of yet.

"All of these things will be coming from this Plymouth base and, over time, will grow into all manner of activities."

The company is investing �30m nationally in the project, with several million being spent in Plymouth.

Call centres have had a chequered history in Plymouth, but the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) believes this could be a successful venture.

"It is not call centres that fail, but the businesses they represent," said Tim Bagshaw, of the SWRDA.

"They are a good source of employment for many people in Plymouth and the UK in general.