A disabled couple say they have been left shocked and distressed after receiving a telephone bill for nearly £600.

Graham Killervy, 44, and Tanya Dunkley, 42, who moved into a bungalow in a new disabled housing scheme in Clayton Heights, Bradford, last summer, are now in dispute with BT over the whopping bill.

The couple claim they have not made the phone calls, which run to two bills of 22 pages and 32 pages, but BT insist that they have.

Now the pair, who are unable to work and live on benefits, face paying off the debt at £100 per month and are unable to use their phone to make outgoing calls, which have been blocked.

"I couldn't believe it when I saw the bill," said Mr Killervy, who suffers from epilepsy. "I called BT the next day and asked them what was going on, and they just said the bill was correct."

Miss Dunkley, who is in a wheelchair, said: "There is even a call to Romania and we don't know anyone in Romania. There is one number on there 32 times in one day and we don't even know what that number is for.

"When you look at the times of the calls it would be impossible for us to phone that number so many times.

"We have tried complaining but as long as they are getting the money it seems they don't care."

Graham's father, Allen Killervy, who is helping his son to sort out the mess, said: "I rang BT and asked them what was going on and they even suggested Tanya might be running a business from the house. I said 'What do you mean? She is in a wheelchair and has just moved out of respite care', but the person I spoke to was persistent and even hung up on me.

"I found their attitude very arrogant."

And Graham's mother, Doreen Killervy, said the couple had agreed to pay the debt because they were frightened of the consequences if they didn't.

Tanya said: "I feel that because we are disabled they are walking all over us. We just want someone from BT to come and check out the line for my benefit as well as theirs."

But a spokesman for BT said: "We have had numerous conversations with the couple from last August and it is clear that calls were being made.

"It is now in the hands of the debt recovery team and we expect payment to be made. We did not know they were disabled. We do give priority to any problems suffered by disabled and elderly customers.

"If they want to contact us we would deal with their situation sympathetically."