A woman has spoken of her shock at receiving two mobile phone bills totalling £1,000 without making a single call.

Rosalind Knapper, 50, agreed to try a free new camera phone with 500 free minutes when she was contacted out of the blue by a company called Tulip UK.

Instead she received two state-of-the-art handsets and was informed the lines would be supplied by the '3' network at cost of £54 for the rental.

She became unsure when there was no contract to sign.

Mrs Knapper, of Heathfield Place, Middleton St George, Darlington, returned them via the Royal Mail and thought was the end of the matter.

But she was astounded when one bill for £558 and another for £552 with pages of numbers for calls made to Ghana, Jamaica and America. She said: "Whoever ended up with my phone ran amok with it.

"Getting it sorted out was a nightmare because I couldn't make myself understood to the call centre staff in India.

"The language barrier was a real problem."

Tulip UK said the phones were never received and so they could not be deactivated or signed off as having been returned.

Mrs Knapper said she was also told she was responsible for replacing the handsets, which could cost a further £1,000.

The problem started at the beginning of June and she said it has taken weeks of endless phone calls through automated systems to resolve the matter.

She said the stress of fearing she may have to pay £2,000 for nothing was taking its toll on her health.

She added: "They were calling us endlessly but it was just scare tactics. We told them they weren't going to get a penny."

Mrs Knapper reported the matter to Durham Constabulary, who worked the Metropolitan Police, regarding the theft of the phones.

A spokesman for the Royal Mail said: "We are sorry that Mrs Knappers items went astray. We tried to contact the intended recipient as part of our investigation without success.

"We will be in touch with her to discuss any compensation she may be entitled to."

The Northern Echo contacted '3' for a comment but no one was available.