A DUDLEY firm which made thousands of nuisance phone calls in the middle of the night has been fined £70,000 by the Information Commissioner's Office.

Direct Security Marketing Ltd made nearly 40,000 automated calls in just one day in an attempt to sell burglar alarms - and 9,775 of the calls were made between 1am and 6am.

The automated calls, made from a withheld number, were received by residents - many of them elderly - early on August 24 2015 and invited them to buy a security system.

Andy Curry, the ICO’s group enforcement manager, said: “Elderly people were among those who were left distressed after being woken up in the night by the automated calls.

“It’s natural when the phone rings in the early hours to fear it’s bad news and perhaps a relative is seriously ill, and that’s what people who received these calls told us they thought.

"Automated calls at any time can leave people feeling unsettled but to receive a call trying to sell you a burglar alarm in the middle of the night must have been very frightening.”

The ICO began an investigation into Direct Security Marketing Ltd, based in Dudley High Street, after receiving complaints from some of those who had been called by the company.

Mr Curry said: “Legally, automated marketing calls can only be made if people have specifically consented to receive this type of call. This company admitted to us that it did not have consent from the individuals they called.”

During the course of the investigation, it was discovered Direct Security Marketing Ltd was not notified with the ICO and the firm was prosecuted at Dudley Magistrates’ Court for the offence.

The company pleaded guilty and last November was fined £650, ordered to pay costs of £492.78 and a £65 victim surcharge.

Company director, Antonio Pardo, also pleaded guilty and was fined £534, ordered to pay £489.08 costs and £53 victim surcharge.