BT claims human error was to blame after a publican from West Sussex received a phone bill for an eye-watering £616,776.

Jack Harding, who runs The Olive Branch pub near Arundel, usually forks out around £100 a month for his BT phone bill.

But he needed a stiff drink after he opened his bill to find he owed more than £600,000, reports The Sun.

A BT spokesman told the paper: "A member of staff filled in the wrong details in the wrong box."

Hr Harding's bill should have been just £92. ®

Related stories

• Man clobbered with £126 trillion phone bill (10 April 2006)
• BT slaps £5 charge on late payers (21 January 2005)
• BT sets heavy mob on El Reg (14 October 2004)
• BT replaces 'red bill' with Indian call centre nag (4 August 2004)
• Monster BT bill man gets reprieve (18 December 2000)
• BT sends woman 467-page bill (1 November 2000)