A HOUSING firm has distanced itself from telephone canvassers cold-calling homes.

Housing Hartlepool said it had nothing to do with the calls, which have included canvassers asking people for personal financial details.

The not-for-profit company, which took over the running of the town's former council housing stock last year, said it was concerned tenants would wrongly assume the calls had come from it.

Housing Hartlepool said it learned of the cold-calling when an elderly lady got in touch after receiving a call from a person representing Homecall.

The woman assumed the call related to Housing Hartlepool's own Homecall service, which provides emergency assistance to tenants.

The company stressed it only took referrals from potential customers, or their relatives, and never carried out cold-calling.