10 funny ways of dealing with cold callers

Wrestling inside your pocket or rummaging around the bottom of your handbag searching for your ringing phone only to find when you answer it, it's someone trying to sell you something you don't want or telling you they can get you compensation for the accident you never had. 

So what do you do next?

Hang up immediately? Spend the next 10 minutes trying to get them off the phone? 

Unsolicited calls hit the headlines this week as a new way of avoiding them was revealed by the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) click here for more details. 

But before you rid your lives of these nuisance calls for good. Here's a few ways to deal with them that's sure to put a smile on your face. 

1. Start talking to them in a very random long-winded way about something completely unrelated. When they ask how you are, start prattling on about your weekend plans – or better still, quiz them about what’s going on in their life.

2. Answer all their questions with film titles or song lyrics.

3. Pretend you don't speak English and throw your best GCSE French at them

4. Tell them that you’re busy with something and ask if  they know where to buy a shovel and some strong acid

5. Repeat everything they say back to them in an accent of your choice

6. Pretend they have reached your voicemail, complete with very unconvincing 'beep' sound.

7. Just say yes – answer yes to every single question they ask even when it makes no sense.

8. Try to sell them something. Gets rid of them very quickly.

9. Ask the caller their name and then cry out in surprise, "Dave! Is that you? Oh my God! Dave, how have you been?"

10. Tell them your name is something a bit more amusing. Chris P Bacon anyone?

How do you deal with nuisance callers? Let us know in the comments below.