A grandmother has reached boiling point over the number of nuisance calls she is receiving.

Marilyn Brown, who is ex-directory and registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), counted 12 cold calls in one day, six of which were before 7am.


One call even caught her off guard, causing her jump and break a bowl.

Former switchboard operator Mrs Brown, 65, of Broomfield, Silver End, said: “It’s got worse and worse.

“A lot of people say to me ‘don’t answer the phone’, but why shouldn’t I answer the phone because that’s what it is there for.”