CABLE company NTL threatened to set doorstep debt collectors on a recently-widowed grandmother after she cancelled a television service ordered by her late husband.

John Gray, 68, of Wootton Bassett, died suddenly on Boxing Day last year, several months after being persuaded to sign up to NTL by a street canvasser.

Three days after he died, his widow Eleanor informed NTL and asked for the equipment to be removed.

This was not done until a month later and since then she has received a series of demands for £50 from the firm, culminating in a letter from a debt collecting agency.

It wasn't until the Gazette's sister paper, the Evening Advertiser, took up the case that the firm issued an apology, and managing director Peter Savage promised an investigation.

Mrs Gray, 66, who lives in The Lawns, said: "Whenever they sent a bill, I wrote 'deceased' clearly on it and sent it back to NTL in their own envelope, but the bills just didn't stop."

She said that when she telephoned the debt collection agency, the woman on the other end of the line initially refused to speak to anybody but Mr Gray.

But she added that the woman was horrified when she learned the truth, and claimed NTL had not told her of Mr Gray's death.

The agency's letter had threatened doorstep collection and possible damage to Mrs Gray's credit rating.

Mrs Gray's 26-year-old granddaughter, Amanda Curtin, has been trying to help her deal with the ongoing problem.

Mrs Curtin, an administrator from Cricklade Road, said: "I think what NTL has done is disgusting.

"It is hard enough getting over somebody's death without being bombarded with bills and letters from debt collection agencies."

Mr Savage said: "This is very unfortunate and very disappointing from our point of view, and we have written today to apologise.

"I'll be taking the matter up with my team."

Mr Savaged pledged a full investigation to discover how it was that letters addressed to Mr Gray were repeatedly sent out in spite of Mrs Gray marking them to indicate that he had died.