A Russian telecoms company is offering free phone calls to the White House for anyone who wants to rant at George Bush.

Excom in the west Russian city of Yekaterinburg said almost 1,000 people have taken advantage of the offer.

Calls have ranged from two to 20 minutes and the tempers of some people have boiled over.

Phone operator Irina Natakhina said: "Mostly men call almost every 10 minutes and demand to be put through to the White House. When they have to wait they even begin swearing at me."

Excom general director Konstantin Ivanov found the number on the internet and said the offer will continue indefinitely.

--Ananova