Greek PM's phone cut by mistake

Mr Papandreou wants to communicate the need to cut waste in public finances

A technician mistakenly cut off the home phone line of Greek premier George Papandreou while trying to disconnect a customer behind in payments.

The other customer's number was the same as the prime minister's, apart from one digit, says telecoms firm OTE.

The telephone line, in a suburb of Athens, was reconnected two days after it had been cut.

Mr Papandreou is under pressure to get Greece's debt-laden budget in order.

His government is pushing through unpopular spending cuts in return for a massive EU and IMF bail-out.

The OTE telephone firm says the technician's mistake, which happened earlier this month, was not spotted immediately.

"It was not a red phone," an OTE worker told the BBC, meaning that it was not one of Mr Papandreou's priority lines.