A WELLING man has spoken of his battle to try and get his dead daughter's landline phone contract closed for the last three months.

Ron Smith, 81, of Bellegrove Road, lost his only surviving daughter Karen Blissett, 54, of Cowper Close, Welling, to bowel cancer in November last year.

Mr Smith, who also lost his other daughter Leslie to cancer of the brain two years before, wrote several letters off to landline provider TalkTalk only to receive bill reminders and other correspondence from the company, none actually closing the account.

The grandfather explained: "This has taken over my life for the past three months.

"I have lost count of the number of letters I have written to TalkTalk asking them to end Karen's landline.

"It's been a hellish experience and amongst everything else I have to sort out, including the sale of her house, it was just getting unbearable."

A final demand letter to Ms Blissett, dated January 3 2014, demanding £65.65 even turned up at the home even after the letters from Mr Smith.

After News Shopper got in touch with TalkTalk and inquired as to what was going on the account was closed.

A spokesman for TalkTalk added: "We are sorry we were not able to close the account when Mr Davies first contacted us in November.

"In these difficult circumstances we do require relatives to send us a power of attorney document or death certificate. We have now closed the account and waived all charges."