Could 03 numbers benefit Dorset residents?

Date: 23/05/2011

New 03 numbers could be a useful purchase for many doctors' surgeries in Dorset.

This is because, according to campaigners, many are still charging their patients premium rates to get in contact, the Bournemouth Echo reports.

Furthermore, the out-of-hours service operated by Southern Western Ambulance Service Trust also uses numbers beginning with 084, the newspaper continued.

Numbers beginning with 03 could be the ideal alternative as they provide a local presence while being cheap to call from both landlines and mobiles.

According to the publication, this switch has the backing of industry watchdog Ofcom.

David Hickson, who is campaigning for numbers in the area to be changed, said: "The government has failed to realise that the only way to ensure people only pay a normal charge is by prohibiting numbers that might charge more."

It is not only the south of the UK that is experiencing this problem, as 18 practices in Derbyshire are still using premium rate numbers, the local Evening Telegraph reported recently.