A WOMAN is threatening to make nuisance telephone calls to a school unless they change their number after being plagued by a spate of wrong-number callers.

Gusta Green's number is one digit different from that of Darwen's Moorland High School.

And she says she is sick of taking telephone calls which are meant for the school - particularly from parents early in the morning.

Miss Green, 78, of Richmond Terrace, Darwen, said: "For years I have had an average of three or four calls, especially at 8.30am, from people saying their children are not going to be at school.

"I could change my number but I would have to notify 57 people from Norway to Argentina. The school says it can't change its number because it would have to change all its stationery, but what about mine?"

Miss Green has threatened to ring the school once every hour to give them a taste of their own medicine. She says she had informed the police, who had warned her she could be charged with making nuisance telephone calls.

But she said: "I am quite prepared to risk that. I am sick of the phone calls. I have been very ill recently and I can do without them."

Head teacher Richard Bridges said he was aware of the problem. "I have spoken with Miss Green, as have my previous chair of governors and current chair of governors

"It is not feasible for us to change our number. We have more than 1,100 pupils and apart from our number being in telephone directories, there is an awful lot of documentation around with it on."

He said he had written an article in the school newsletter telling parents that there had been problems with the number being misdialled and giving the accurate number.

A spokeswoman for BT said there was little they could do except offer to change Miss Green's number free of charge.

She added that they would possibly look at some kind of goodwill payment to help with the cost of stationery to tell Miss Green's friends the new number.

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