The BT6500 will give customers the power to block calls from “international” numbers, “withheld” numbers, or up to 10 specific numbers.

Nuisance calls are a familiar issue in the UK with companies who don’t want to be identified flouting the rules.

BT receives more than 50,000 calls to their Nuisance Calls Advice Line each month. Especially irritating are silent calls, generating up to 3,392 calls to Ofcom per month.

Of those who receive silent calls, 57% receive five or more calls a month.

Ofcom found that just over seven in 10 (71%) people have received live marketing calls on their fixed-line phone in the past six months. Older consumers are more likely to have been affected; with four in five (80%) people aged between 65 and 74 reporting that they receive these types of calls.

John Petter, managing director of BT’s consumer division, said: “We know from talking to our customers that nuisance calls cause huge frustration and even anxiety at times. When people feel as though they are being harassed in their own homes they need to be able to take action and block the offending callers. The BT6500 puts the customer in control of the types of call they receive. We believe this phone gives customers the peace of mind that when the phone rings it should be someone they want to speak to.”