Nuisance calls now a 'daily torment' with three-quarters contacted in last month, survey finds

Two in five feel intimidated by unsolicited sales and marketing calls

Under new proposals, the Information Commissioner’s Office could be given powers to fine company directors who break the law up to £500,000 (Rex)

Almost three-quarters of people in the UK have received at least one nuisance call in the past month and the problem has become a “daily torment” for some, according to a new report.

Consumer group Which? said two in five of those it surveyed said they felt intimidated by nuisance sales or marketing calls.

Those ultimately responsible for nuisance calls often evade punishment because under current rules only companies can be fined, rather than the directors running them. In many cases directors declare companies bankrupt before opening up again under a different name.

Under new proposals, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) could be given powers to fine directors who break the law up to £500,000.

A three-month consultation on the issue launched by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport was due to close on Tuesday.

Which? is urging the government to make sure company bosses responsible for nuisance calls are personally held accountable.

Alex Neill, from Which?, said: “The government must seize this opportunity and act swiftly to deliver on its promise to stamp out dodgy practices and make sure that those responsible for making nuisance calls can no longer evade justice and skip fines.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: “For too long a minority of company directors have escaped justice by liquidating their firms and opening up again under a different name, which is why we’re taking action to hold rogue bosses to account and put an end to these unwanted calls.”

Earlier this year, a PPI company that made 75 million nuisance calls in just four months was fined £350,000 by the ICO.

The director of Miss-sold Products UK Ltd did not face any punishment, despite the company he ran “blatantly ignoring the law”, because of the shortcomings in existing legislation, the ICO said.

Miss-sold Products made recorded, automated marketing calls without the consent of recipients, mostly promoting compensation claims.