F***ing sick of telephone pranksters

Angry residents in the Austrian village of F***ing are complaining about drunken English-speaking telephone pranksters.

They say callers ring at all hours, demanding to know "Is that F***ing" - before bursting into laughter and then hanging up.

The problems began after tricksters noticed residents of the village could be found by typing the word 'F***ing' into the online Austrian telephone book.

Also suffering thanks to the service are the locals of the Austrian villages of "Oberf***ing" "Windpassing", "W***ham" and "Rottenegg" - although it seems F***ing is the most popular among pranksters.

And now random callers have been making life miserable for the villagers.

Johann Maier, 56, told local media: "It's true - we get calls and a voice in English asking if we are in F***ing or is that F***ing - then there is laughter or something - and then they hang up."

Mayor Siegfried Hauppl said: "I don't know why they have to go on about it all the time the English - we are always in the news but we are just a little village - we want to be left in peace."

And he rejected any suggestion that the village change its name.

Last year locals in the Swiss village of W*** urged the F***ing residents to lighten up - open a few guest houses and sell postcards to cash in on their fame.

The W*** Guest House, they pointed out, was full all year round.