BBC NEWS | UK | New rules to cut cold calls

New regulations aimed at clamping down on unwanted cold-calling come into force on Tuesday.

They mean companies could be fined if they persist in calling individuals who do not want to be contacted.

As the UK's telemarketing industry has grown, so have the number of complaints from consumers sick and tired of being cold-called by salespeople.

From Tuesday there will be more protection for those who have registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), stating that they do not want to be contacted at home.

'Real benefits to businesses'

Under the rules, companies have 28 days to clear their call lists of such people. Failure to do so will result in fines of up to �5,000 for each offence.

woman on phone
Some people cannot stand calls from salespeople
Colin Lloyd, chief executive of the Direct Marketing Association which operates the TPS, said hundreds of firms had contacted them to ensure they would be compliant with the new rules.

He said firms hoped the new rules would help clean up the image of telemarketing.

"The introduction of the new regulations has real benefits to businesses as it will ensure they don't waste time or money calling consumers who just don't want to be bothered," he said.

"Every wasted call costs UK firms about �2.50 and, given the size of the telemarketing business, that means potentially massive savings. The response over the last four weeks has been tremendous."

Three quarters of companies with more than 100 staff now use the telephone to keep in contact with customers.

Firms in the UK spend an estimated �15.4m a year on telemarketing. The country's telemarketing industry employs 1.3 million people - 5% of the workforce.

Stopping cold-calling

You can stop unwanted cold-calling by filling out a form which you can get from your phone company.

Some companies have a Freephone number to get this form: