SOMERSET County Council has made it easier and cheaper for people to get in touch with the launch of a new 0300 number but is asking people to think before they call.

As of last Friday, the ten separate 0845 numbers have been replaced with a single number for all telephone enquiries – 0300 123 2224.

The 0300 number is charged at the same rate as numbers starting 01 and 02 and calls to it are automatically included with free mobile and landline call packages.

The vast majority of the 250,000 calls received last year covered the Council’s business, ranging from libraries to street lights Some of the most common calls included:

Reporting highways issues like potholes or faulty street lights

• Requests for birth and marriage certificates

• Applying for blue badges

• Renewing library books

• Enrolling on courses with Somerset Skills and Learning

• Paying invoices

• Enquiries about parking

There were also a small number of more unusual requests which the authority was unable to help with, other than pointing the customer in the right direction.

These included:

What size tin is required for the Mary Berry strawberry tart featured on the BBC’s Great British Bake Off?

• What are the rules and regulations for hosting a mouse race?

• How high is Mt Kilimanjaro?

• I’ve eaten an out of date pork pie – what should I do?

• Can you translate words from Latin into English?

• Do you have a list of film times for the cinema?