AN INTERNATIONAL twist to York's premium rate telephone controversy was revealed today as the line remained open - two days after a watchdog promised to pull the plug.

Unwary residents have continued spending up to £6 ringing the 0896 number organised by Ashford Promotions of Bucks, hoping to win a big cash prize but invariably ending up disappointed.

Premium rate line watchdog ICSTIS says it is continuing to pressurise network operator World Telecom to bar the number, following concerns that Ashford is using misleading promotional literature.

"ICSTIS has done everything it can. The ball is in World Telecom's court," he said, urging concerned Evening Press readers to complain to ICSTIS on freephone 0800 500 212.

People have rung Ashford's £1-a-minute premium rate line after receiving letters which they say made them believe they had probably won a big cash prize or TV. In fact, 8,999 out of every 9,000 recipients get a "lifetime personal telephone number" offering an answerphone service, although Ashford have strongly denied the leaflet is in any way misleading.

Letters have continued to arrive at homes in the York area, and some were delivered yesterday at villages further away including Tollerton near Easingwold.

Now readers have told how they received almost identical letters, also headed "Official Payout Notification" last year ... from as far away as Budapest and Vancouver.

Aileen Henderson, of Old Earswick, said she sent off a cheque for £6.97 to an "International Claim Bureau" in Vancouver last May, hoping to win a TV, video or cash, although another prize on offer was not a telephone number but an Australian stamp. After more than six months and lots of letters to the organisers, she eventually got her prize ...an Australian stamp.

She also revealed how she has since been bombarded by similar offers of prizes from around the world, at companies based in New York, Australia, Toronto and Sweden.

Kath Butler, of York, had the same letter sent to her last autumn in an envelope franked Budapest, and this time she was told to send her claim to an International Claim Bureau in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Small print on the back of the letter said she had odds of 12:950,000 of winning a TV, video or £975 cash prize, and of 1:1 of winning a stamp with philatelic value.

Ashford said today that the foreign letters were not sent out by it. It was possible other companies abroad had bought the franchise to send out letters similar to Ashford's.

The firm said that it was to meet with ICSTIS to discuss its concerns, and repeated claims made on Wednesday that it would seek a High Court injunction it any attempt was made to pull the plug on the line. It denied that it would have been fairer to have put in its letter the odds people have of winning a big cash prize.

The Evening Press has tried to speak to World Telecom a dozen times, but a spokeswoman has always been unavailable.

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