The Labour party has been found by bthe Information Commissioner to have breached privacy rules by making unsolicited automated phone calls to almost half a million people without their consent.

The calls, which featured a recorded message from Coronation Street actress Liz Dawn, were made at about 495,000 people in areas with strong Labour support to encourage them to vote in the local and European elections last June.

Deputy Information Commissioner David Smith said calls of this type can cause “annoyance and disruption” to those receiving them.

He ordered Labour to ensure that no further automated direct marketing calls are made without consent, and warned that failure to comply would be a criminal offence which could lead to prosecution.