Ms. Jean Bettinson

Jean Bettinson, of Norwich Avenue, Stockton, contacted the Gazette complaining of the poor service she had received from ntl.

But after the Gazette got involved the company reacted by apologising to 55-year-old Ms Bettinson, recrediting all the outstanding money and giving two months free broadband as a gesture of goodwill.

Ms Bettinson was so upset with the problems she was facing she wrote a letter of complaint to ntl's managing director.

She had a contract for broadband, a digital box and phone line rental for £29 a month but did not watch the television channels.

She terminated the TV and phone contract early last November but continued with the broadband service.

She has since been billed three times by direct debit for the phone and television channels and when she cancelled the payment at the bank she received a letter from ntl asking why.

Despite numerous calls from Ms Bettinson, who says she had to wait 45 minutes on the line on one occasion, ntl still had her account logged as "disconnection pending".

But today an ntl spokeswoman has apologised for any inconvenience caused.

She said: "There was an error which led to the bills being generated and we have gone in manually to override the problem.

"We have recredited all the outstanding money and given Ms Bettinson two months free broadband service which she still has with us as a goodwill gesture."