Cable firm Telewest Communications has posted encouraging financial results for the half year ending June 30.

The owners of Yorkshire Cable added 21,000 households to its customer base and increased turnover by 24 per cent, from £522m to £648m, compared to the same period last year.

Earnings before tax and amortisation (debt payments) were also up 16 per cent to £142m, with its revenue per subscriber increased by four per cent, to £39.07.

But pre-tax tax losses continued to widen with depreciation and higher operating expenses pushing the figure for the half year to £413m, compared to £296m last year.

Group chief executive Adam Singer said he was pleased with the overall result. "We have focused on getting the basics right: pricing, marketing and delivering a quality product, while improving customer service," he said.

"The result of these efforts can be seen in these numbers and the trends remain positive: good subscriber growth combined with lower churn (ie customers leaving the service). We will continue to deliver the goods, as we have done for the past four quarters."

Telewest, which provides cable services, digital TV, telephone and Internet access, now has 1.73 million customers.

The figures also showed the number of subscribers to the firm's new hi-speed Internet facility, blueyonder, had jumped by 13,000 to 38,000. This is Telewest's fourth straight quarter of subscriber growth and rising average revenues. It is about to launch a national campaign with competitor ntl to market cable broadband to nine million homes.

Finance director Charles Burdick said he expected the group's losses to peak this year, with the position improving during 2002.