A WORCESTER IT company has formed an innovative partnership to help people who have been recently bereaved.

UK Data IT is a data protection specialist, based in Shrub Hill.

The company has teamed up with the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD), in a bid to help protect the recently bereaved from unwelcome telemarketing initiatives.

Called BereavementGard, the new service effectively puts a stop to unwanted cold-calling on the telephone.

The product, which became operational yesterday, is being offered free to the public by funeral directors who are members of the NAFD, Britain's leading funeral trade association.

"Our aim is to support bereaved families," said Alan Slater, chief executive officer of the NAFD.

"Since people are often at their most vulnerable shortly after a death, the last thing they want is to be bombarded with calls about special offers on replacement windows, home security, life assurance or fitted kitchens."

UK Data IT is providing the technology to support BereavementGard, which automatically bars unsolicited calls.

Based in Shrub Hill, Worcester, UK Data IT provides call-suppression services to around 10,000 direct telemarketing lines throughout Britain, suppressing more than 500,000 unwanted calls each month.

"We are delighted to be working with the NAFD and its members," said Richard Melling, sales and marketing director at UK Data IT.

"The telemarketing call-suppression system eliminates unwelcome calls from commercial businesses and prevents invasion of privacy at a time when families are mourning the loss of a close relative."

Approval for BereavementGard has been obtained from the Registrar of Births and Deaths, and the Information Commissionaire.

"We expect the service to be welcomed by the telemarketing industry since it ensures companies do not cause unnecessary distress to the bereaved," added Mr Melling.

BereavementGard is available to all members of the deceased person's family and is activated by calling a free-phone number to register the telephone number.

Telemarketing companies can then screen their calls against the do-not-call files.

The product can be initiated from the day of the death and remains in place for three months, after which time, telephone numbers automatically become accessible once again for telemarketing purposes.