CABLE operator ntl yesterday said it achieved solid quarterly figures after adopting a "business as usual" approach during life-saving refinancing.

The US parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May but hopes to emerge from the process in October following a debt-for-equity swap.

Chief executive Barclay Knapp said ntl had made substantial progress with the overhaul of its £12bn debt and held firm at an operating level as funding constraints curtailed growth plans.

Revenues across the group were marginally lower on a year-on-year basis in the second quarter at £627m, with underlying earnings of £174m down from £177m in the previous three months, but up from £110m a year earlier.

However, figures show the core ntl Home division lost 70,000 subscribers in the quarter as publicity surrounding the restructuring harmed the company, which employs more than 600 on Teesside.

Mr Knapp said a tight control on costs, particularly following job cuts last year, had helped the earnings figure.

He said: "We have had a solid performance in the second quarter and are looking forward to emerging from the Chapter 11 process on time.

"The environment is not getting any better so we are going to be prudent about how we spend money."

The company said it had suffered from negative publicity surrounding its financial position and said there was no assurance that the problems would not have a long-term impact on its brand.

With ntl's growth hit by funding constraints, the company said it was looking to focus on improving customer service to boost loyalty.

It will also try to boost revenues through the increased take-up of high-speed, always-on broadband Internet products.

The ntl Home division ended the quarter with more than 275,000 broadband customers and took the figure to over 300,000 by the start of August. This helped Home's second-quarter revenues hold firm at £334m, with underlying earnings up 45 per cent on a year earlier at £141m.

Monthly average revenue per unit was £40.54, a rise of £1.18 per month against the same period last year.

While the number of subscriber disconnections fell to 119,000 from 127,000 in the previous three months, the number of new customers was down to 49,000 from 54,000 in the first quarter.