ANGLER Zyg Gregorek has come face to face with some pretty fearsome looking sharks on the end of his line fishing around the world, but nothing had prepared him for landing a huge phone bill run up by mobile thieves.

Zyg who runs fishing lodge Anglers? Paradise near Halwill, with his wife, Rose, returned from a dream trip to Mozambique with an unwelcome holiday gift when their latest mobile phone bill, totalling more than £8,000, arrived on the doormat on New Year?s Eve.

Zyg and Rose were shocked to find criminals had run up a massive phone bill with calls across the world after stealing Rose?s mobile phone while the couple were at the airport at the start of their holiday.

During the Mozambique trip a delighted Zyg had completed his seven-year quest to land all the billfish marlin species in the world.

A challenge which had taken him around the world and to which only a handful of fisherman could lay claim.

The mobile phone which belonged to Rose had been stolen at the start of the trip last month and used to run up a bill of more than £8,000 with hundreds of calls to Pakistan, South Africa, Ethiopia and other countries.

Zyg explained he was stunned to see the bill for a total of £8,115.29p as the family were preparing to celebrate New Year?s Eve.

?I thought ?What the hell?? It took me ten minutes to take it in. I was bemused. At the end of the day, it is beyond our means.?

Zyg said he and his wife Rose first noticed the phone was missing on December 4 in Mozambique as they began packing to return home. They contacted the phone company T-Mobile on their return to Britain the very next day.

T-Mobile say, as the law currently stands, as all the calls were made before the phone was reported stolen, the registered owners are liable.

Zyg said he was angry T-Mobile were insisting he was liable for all the calls.

?Instead of being understanding, they say it is my problem. Surely there is a duty of care, they just have to look at my bill for the last two years, which each month is no more than £15.?

Zyg said the firm were insisting the bill was the Gregoreks? responsibility even though the records showed the calls began to be made while the couple were in transit. ?Their attitude is ?We don?t care. It?s up to you?,? said Zyg.

?I have to fight this; one, I can?t afford it, and two, the phone company can?t be allowed to do this, to bully people,? he added.

Zyg said: ?It looks to have been an airport theft because the calls started on the day we left, it is most likely it was stolen in Johannesburg.

?They were using it non-stop for seven days to run up the bill, it could have been used by organised criminals or even terrorists.?

Zyg said the episode had completely spoiled his holiday.

?We come back proud and over the moon and right now we are on a downer.

?It is a shock and our holiday has gone up the spout. My wife is upset and I am upset.?

A spokesmen for T-Mobile said he was unable to comment on individual cases, but the company?s policy in general was clear.

?We do have sympathy for genuine customers who are the victims of crime. However, the contract is quite clear on this, up until the point when a mobile phone is reported lost or stolen, the owner is liable for any calls made,? he said.

The spokesman did confirm the company were looking into this particular case to see if a settlement could be reached.

l See page 5.