Fined: Passport lines that charge premium rates for free advice

The providers supplied lines to companies that ran official-looking websites inviting callers to dial a 10p-a-minute 0871 number for recorded information.

Customers were then directed to an even more expensive 090 line that cost at least £1.50 a minute. But the same details about passport-office locations and opening times are on the Home Office's free website and its 24-hour advice line, which charges just 8p a minute.

The Government's Identity and Passport Service (IPS) took action after a Mail on Sunday report on the authoritative-sounding UK Passport Information helpline.

We revealed how the helpline had nothing to do with any Whitehall department and was actually run by telecommunications engineer Benjamin Fall from his flat in Portsmouth.

Mr Fall, 30, reproduced the distinctive cover of the British passport on his website to give the impression that his operation had official backing.

But the Home Office received hundreds of complaints from people who felt duped after spending up to ten minutes listening to a recording of Mr Fall reading passport information from a Government leaflet.

Now PhonepayPlus, the industry-funded regulator, has fined Mr Fall's telecoms provider Stealthnet £15,000.

A2B Telecom was also fined £25,000 for the ukpassportadvice.com line and Sound Telecom ordered to pay £15,000 for ukpassportadvisor.com.

The three providers were formally reprimanded and banned from providing any "advice" on travel documents until they can prove the websites and phone lines no longer mislead people.

All three were working within the law but IPS chief executive James Hall told PhonepayPlus – formerly known as Icstis – that callers were charged extortionate rates for information that was often inaccurate or out of date.

Although the fines were imposed on the service provider and not the company running the line, many providers have private contracts that oblige line operators such as Mr Fall to pay part of any penalty imposed.

PhonepayPlus said: "The reason we regulate the service provider is because we need to have a legally identifiable party that is accountable for how that premium-rate service is run."

Security Minister Tony McNulty said: "Nobody should have to pay over the odds to get passport advice. I am delighted that PhonepayPlus has taken this strong action to ensure that customers are not ripped off."

Mr Fall declined to comment. Stealthnet said: "We are making changes to the service as requested."