A WHARFEDALE MP has hailed the announced crackdown on nuisance telephone cold-callers.
The Government is to make it easier to penalise the companies behind unsolicited calls and texts with fines of up to £500,000 from April 6, this year.
The law already allows fines to be imposed – but only if it can be proven that the call concerned caused “substantial damage or distress”.
MP Greg Mulholland (Lib Dem, Leeds North-West) said he was pleased to hear that requirement was now being scrapped.
He said: “It is wrong that these companies are harassing people with such regularity, it has to stop and I am delighted that the Government has listened to the concerns that we have been raising.
“This is an important step in the right direction in dealing with a problem that affects everyone with a landline or a mobile.”
More than 175,000 complaints were made to the Information Commissioner’s Office about nuisance calls and text messages last year.
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