CUSTOMERS who rang the helpline of one of Britain's biggest cable television companies were stunned when they ran into a message featuring a tirade of four-letter words.

"Hello, you are through to NTL customer services," it said. "We don't give a f*** about you, basically, and we are not going to handle any of your complaints. Just f*** off and leave us alone. Get a life."

What they were listening to was the voice of Ashley Gibbins, an irate customer who had discovered that it was possible to change the company's recorded message asking customers to hold the line.

He was wreaking revenge for being put on hold for an hour.