A new Bill to prevent cold-calling has been backed by Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael in the House of Commons.

The Bill, brought forward by Conservative MP Stephen Kerr, aims to give consumers more control over unwanted calls from strangers.

Mr Carmichael said the current system of registering nuisance calls had not eliminated the issue, with an estimated 70 million unwanted calls being made in the UK every year.

“Cold calls are an inconvenient, unwelcome and annoying problem that many face across the Northern Isles and beyond,” he said.

“More needs to be done to make directors responsible for the companies which run these cold calls. Penalties for abuse must be more robust.

“I will continue to work across the whole House of Commons to do what I can to ensure that this important bill becomes law and protects some of the most vulnerable in our community from abuse.”