A FATHER-of-two has hit out at a Cirencester store after buying a mobile phone full of pornographic images.

Brian Critchley, a self-employed geophysicist, claims Phones 4 U upgraded his mobile phone contract at the Phones 4 U shop in Cirencester and was given a Nokia 6500 Slide but had suspicions he was given a second-hand model.

The SIM card had popped out, the box looked scuffed, there was some power on the phone and it kept locking he said.

"I rely heavily on my mobile for jobs as I am self-employed so this was most inconvenient and could have lost me valuable contracts," he added.

Mr Critchley also noticed some of the games had already been played and had high scores.

Last Wednesday he returned the phone and it was replaced with the same model.

Mr Critchley said: "I inquired whether the phone was new as once more there was charge on the phone and the SIM card was popped out of its holder."

He says he was assured by the store manager it was a new phone as they were not legally allowed to sell used phones.

But on the way home when he checked the phone he found six pornographic images on it dating back to beginning of January. One had been taken just the day before.

He said: "I have two daughters, aged nine and seven. I would have had a lot of explaining to do if they had found the images before me."

Assistant manager at the Cirencester branch of Phones 4 U James Sproston confirmed Mr Critchley had bought a phone from the store the day before but denied it had previously been used.

"We only had three of that particular model when the customer came in and they were all in sealed boxes," he said.

"Legally we can only sell brand new phones and when an old phone is brought in it is sent to our insurance department."

Mr Critchley has since contacted Phones 4 U Customer resolution service who advised him to return the phone and he will receive a new one.

Complaints about mobile phones are in the top ten list of problems Consumer Direct has to deal with.

A spokesman for Consumer Direct said: "Issues with contract mobile phones may be covered by the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982. Consumers may have rights to approach the trader if they believe the phone they have received does not match its description. Other factors may need taking into account regarding the service provider of the phone. Pornography is an area where advice should be sought from the Police."