YORK'S prizeline saga is to be referred to the Government as anger grows over a "toothless" watchdog's inability to close down the line.

Ryedale MP John Greenway plans to send a sheaf of Evening Press articles to Consumer Affairs Minister Nigel Griffiths about the premium rate telephone line run by Disbursement Claims of High Wycombe.

And York MP Hugh Bayley intends raising the issues with the minister after receiving a full briefing from York's trading standards department.

The MPs spoke out after the Evening Press told them how scores of readers had spent up to £6 ringing the line, encouraged by the firm to believe they had probably won a cash prize or TV but invariably discovering they had won a lifetime personal telephone number.

They were among 50,000 York householders sent a letter from Disbursement Claims, inviting them to ring the number to find out what they had won.

The premium rate watchdog ICSTIS said almost a fortnight ago it was asking network operate World Telecom to pull the plug on the £1-a-minute service.

But the line was still up and running yesterday, with the watchdog saying it was unable to force through the closure of such recorded message premium lines. Some winners have complained that they would have been saved £6 had the line been closed as intended by the "toothless" watchdog.

Mr Greenway said the watchdog should be given complete power to close lines it was unhappy with. He was not happy with what had happened to some of his constituents, and would send the minister the press articles to see if anything could be done.

"Obviously, there's something not right," he said. "I would imagine that a responsible company would be very cross about what has been happening."

Mr Bayley said the law did not appear strong enough for rogue organisations to be closed down smartly when trading standards became aware of a problem. But he was waiting for full details from trading standards before making representations to Mr Griffiths.

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