BT has thrown a strop because Postman Pat is muscling in on its telecoms business.

Earlier today the Post Office announced its return to the telecoms sector with the launch of its HomePhone service. The organisation, which ran the UK's telecoms network until BT was spun out in 1981, is gunning for a million BT residential fixed line customers by 2008.

Now BT claims that the Post Office is "stuck in the dark ages" when it comes to offering value to today's residential phone callers. Said BT bigwig Gavin Patterson: "If customers are looking for good value from the Post Office, frankly they're better off sticking to stamps." Cheeky. ®

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