A VETERAN – who ran up a £980 bill after ringing psychics on premium rate numbers because he 'had nobody to talk to' – has pleaded with Talk Talk to cancel the charges.

Anthony Harrop said he has made more than one thousand calls to the '0904' numbers since October last year.

The 67-year-old, from Macclesfield, has been dealt with by Talk Talk staff across the country, including those based at the telecommunication firm's Birchwood office.

The ex-British Army serviceman was injured when hit by a bomb blast in Northern Ireland in 1972.

He was medically discharged in 1973 but continues to suffer from post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) – and said the condition placed him in a 'situation' where he needed to make landline calls to have someone to talk to.

The veteran, who has been supported by Armed Forces charity SSAFA, ran up a £982 bill with the company after ringing the psychic lines.

Mobile provider O2 agreed to write off a £600 plus bill incurred for making calls to premium lines but Talk Talk is refusing to do so as it deems the calls to be 'valid'.

Talk Talk said Mr Harrop contacted the firm at the end of November as he 'wanted to remove' an outgoing bar on his landline account.

The bar was removed 'within the standard timeframe of 24 hours' once Mr Harrop made the minimum payment.

Talk Talk said Mr Harrop did not have a premium bar on his account as these are only added at the customer's request.

It has also been claimed he didn't challenge any of the premium call charges and had previously made payments to cover the costs, meaning there was 'no reason' for Talk Talk to 'advise him' to add the bar.

However, Talk Talk confirmed Mr Harrop called to request a premium bar on his account in December before asking for the outstanding balance of £982 to be cleared in February.

Mr Harrop received £140 in credit from Talk Talk as a 'goodwill gesture' for calling the company on his mobile when he had a bar on his line.

The veteran confirmed he no longer makes calls to the '0904' numbers and slammed Talk Talk for the way it has handled the matter.

He said: "I am an ex-soldier, who suffers from PTSD, and was in a situation where the need to have someone to talk to caused me to make calls to '0904' numbers.

"There were well over one thousands calls.

"I was speaking to psychics, it was a situation which developed at the time.

"I had nobody to talk to – none of my family were talking to me.

"I did what I did and I did press the buttons.

"My relationship has improved with my family and things around me are a lot better now.

"I think they should waiver the bill and give me compensation.

"The bar was placed on a few times since October – when the bar went on I could not use the '0904' numbers."

As the matter has not been resolved, it has reached a 'deadlock situation'.

A Talk Talk spokesman said: "We have worked with the SSAFA as part of our commitments with the Military Covenant to support Mr Harrop.

"At Mr Harrop's request a premium bar has been added to the account and the case is now with the Ombudsman."

The Ombudsman confirmed once both parties have provided evidence, it takes around six to eight weeks for the investigating officer to return with a resolution proposal.

SSAFA said it does not comment on 'individual beneficiary cases'.