TELECOMS company NTL today announced plans to cut its workforce by 6,000 following its merger with rival Telewest.

The company, which employs 460 people in a call centre in Stockton-on-Tees, said more than a third of its 17,000 staff will be affected by the cuts.

It announced the first round of 1,535 job losses yesterday which will include an initial 54 cuts in the fault management service Stockton.

A spokeswoman said she could not comment on any further job cuts but that the remaining 4,645 would be announced in due course.

She would not say whether Stockton would be affected by further job losses.