FIRMS want compensation after being left without phone lines for nearly a week, writes Karen Rosine.

Four communications companies on the site of the former MG factory at Abingdon were forced to work from mobile phones and claim they lost thousands of pounds in business.

The companies are Touchpaper graphic design Internet company, On TV, Frank Research and Andromeda - an interactive design company.

Clive Hetherington, managing director at Touchpaper, said that from last Thursday there was one diverted phone line for his firm but other companies had none at all.

He said that at one point workers were told the phone lines would remain out of order all this week as well, but they were working yesterday. Mr Hetherington, speaking for the companies affected, said: "This is the fourth time we have lost the phone lines in less than five months but this is the worst.

"It was very difficult as everything now is being done by phone, Internet and faxes.

"Most people would have thought last week that we had gone out of business.

"All our new business is on the phone and Touchpaper lost about £500 to £600 a day. "We are all going to be seeking compensation."

A spokesman for BT said their records showed the fault was reported on Thursday, divert facilities put in place and the fault repaired.

He said: "The companies can certainly seek compensation and if they qualify we will look at the details of their cases."

Story date: Tuesday 08 February

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.