BOSSES at BT today admitted a "technical glitch" caused two North Yorkshire towns to be missed out of the new classified section of the phone book.

Last week the Evening Press revealed that many Malton and Norton businesses did not appear in the Yellow Pages-style directory, despite being listed in the existing A-Z section.

BT promised to launch an investigation, and revealed today that at least TWO postcode areas had been missed out entirely.

Data protection laws mean that traders must give their permission to appear in classified directories.

But it has emerged that addresses in YO17 6 and YO17 7 postcode areas - which cover Malton and as far out as Kirby Misperton - may never have been approached.

And BT is also investigating whether YO17 9 addresses in Norton were not consulted over the new-style classified section.

Town centre bosses said the only solution would be to reprint the book.

"You might as well rip the whole lot up and start again," said Jason Fitzgerald-Smith, from the town centre management company.

"I think this is gross inefficiency, it is really of no use to anybody.

"It completely lets down market towns trying to encourage people to come and use their businesses."

A BT spokeswoman said: "It seems YO17 6 and YO17 7 have been omitted from the data we have got. It looks like a technical glitch."

She said that the Royal Mail had recently changed or replaced two postcodes in the York area, and BT may not have been working with the most up-to-date information available.

But a spokeswoman for Royal Mail said the last re-coding they had undertaken was in 1998, and that many postcodes had altered then without causing difficulties.

Jonathan Huntsman, from Malton furniture store John Barber Ltd, said he was disgusted by what had happened.

"The whole book has come out and Malton and Norton are not in the classified section," he said.

"It's not just us, it's everyone - it's very annoying.

"They are not going to do a reprint but they are still going to keep charging us on our bills each quarter."

The BT spokeswoman said that since they had been contacted by the Evening Press, technical advisers had been told to register calls from the Malton and Norton area so that a special register of complaints could be drawn up.

Customers who have been omitted from the new-style classifieds should phone BT's helpline on 0800 833400.

Updated: 12:03 Thursday, February 13, 2003