FORMER Telewest boss Adam Singer received compensation of £1.4m after quitting the debt-laden cable operator last year.

Mr Singer, who left after the company's board called for a change in management style, enjoyed a £600,000 salary and a two-year notice period.

Additional benefits took the final payment to £1.4m, while seven months pay meant the former chief executive earned almost £1.8m last year.

Details of the compensation package emerged in Telewest's annual report and followed a year in which the company reported a £2.2bn loss - mainly due to the sharp devaluation of its assets.

In yesterday's annual report, Telewest said: "This notice period was considered appropriate when the employment agreement with Mr Singer was entered into."

A spokeswoman said contracts were now structured differently, although Mr Singer's successor, Charles Burdick, could still receive compensation of two years' salary in the event of a takeover.

Mr Burdick, a former Telewest finance director, took the title of managing director in August. He is being paid £500,000 a year.