A CALL TO FAR...

EASTENDERS HAVE BROKE PRIVACY RULES! AFTER RICKY WAS CHECKING HIS PHONE FOR CALLS AND MESSAGES OF SAM..

THE BBC has been rapped after a mum was plagued by obscene calls and texts after her mobile phone number was shown on EastEnders.

Character Ricky Butcher was seen receiving texts from wayward missus Sam Mitchell as he sat eating chips in an episode of the BBC1 soap in September.

But the number on his mobile screen - which was shown for four seconds - actually belonged to beautician Lisa Edwards, 38, of Alvechurch, Worcs.

She was immediately besieged by calls, texts and voicemails from strangers.

Several asked: "Is that Sam from EastEnders?"

Some asked for a date and others were seeking sex.

In two hours Lisa had more than 500 calls and hundreds of texts - and received another huge batch after the BBC1 episode was re-run on BBC3.

In all, she received nearly 3,000 text messages.

fcom yesterday found the BBC in breach of the broadcasting code after conducting an investigation.

Ofcom upheld Lisa's complaint, describing it as an "unwarranted infringement of privacy".

It said: "Ofcom found that Mrs Edwards would not have expected her business mobile telephone number to appear on screen during an episode of a soap opera."

The BBC told the regulator that the phone number had been displayed by accident - but said it was unable to explain "with any certainty" how it happened.

It said it had tried to find out how the texts had come to be sent to the prop phone, one of a number it uses on the soap, saying a network fault or misdialled number could have been to blame.

It said it had since overhauled its procedures in relation to the use of mobile phones and phone numbers on screen.