Time's up for amorous Turks

ISTANBUL (Reuter) - Amorous Turks will no longer have access to adult-entertainment telephone lines with names such as 'Turn Off the Lamp' and 'Tales From Under the Sheets', because they insult the public, Turkish television said yesterday.

It quoted Yasar Topcu, the Transport Minister, as saying: 'I give these companies until Wednesday to stop their erotic services or I'll cut their lines which . . . encourage immoral sexual behaviour among young people. They are an insult to the public.'

Sex lines became popular after the state telephone monopoly, PTT, launched Turkey's first dial-data service seven months ago.

Overall revenues from the dial-data services have topped pounds 15m so far, drawing an average 60,000 calls a day, PTT officials said.