PRESS DIGEST - British Business press - Feb 22 =7

Tomkins (TOMK.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) shares gained 7 percent after the group reported an 11 percent underlying profit decline in 2007. The engineering firm said that it is stepping up its cost-cutting drive, and will target 100 million dollars of annual cost savings by 2010, via the loss of an unspecified number of jobs, rationalising factories, and the outsourcing of work to nations with lower labour costs. In addition, the group calmed fears of a dividend cut by maintaining 2007's 13.89 pence-a-share.

BT ENDS CHARGING FOR CUSTOMER CARE CALLS

BT (BT.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) on Thursday announced that it is to stop charging for calls made to its customer service and helpdesk numbers via its own lines, while slamming rivals that continue to charge for such services - including Virgin Media, Sky (BSY.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Orange - Gavin Patterson, head of its consumer business, saying: "There really is no excuse for companies whose prices are either sky-high or verging on the ridiculous." Calls made to the group's broadband help desk will, from April, be free of charge, following the example of the majority of its customer care services, which have already been transferred to free call numbers.

Prepared for Reuters by Durrants