EAST Lancashire businesses were today warned to beware of returning faxes asking for public opinion on the single currency -- after it cost one company 21 Euros to reply.

Gordon McCallum, sales director of call centre JINI Internet PLC, received a fax asking if Britain should join the Euro.

Senders Vote UK from Bristol claim to be compiling a national opinion poll.

But small print on the bottom states faxes are billed at £1.50 a minute and so would cost about £5 to return.

Gordon said: "My bill states that the 'service provider' of premium rate lines receive more than 60 per cent of the call cost. I have rung Oftel to complain and I tried to get a number for Vote UK but there is not one listed. I just want to make sure that other businesses are aware of the cost of returning these faxes."

A spokesman for British Telecom said: "If the company has stated the premium rate charge on the fax they have not done anything wrong."

Senior fair trading officer Julian Edwards advised businesses to register with the fax preference service to stop such faxes. The telephone number for the fax preference service is 0845 070 0702 or by fax on 0845 070 0705.

No phone number for Vote UK was listed with directory inquiries.