TWO of the original members of teen band Busted have launched a High Court action alleging they had to give up rights to songs after "threats" against them.

TWO of the original members of teen band Busted have launched a High Court action alleging they had to give up rights to songs after "threats" against them.

Four of the songs became big hits for Busted but Ki McPhail and Owen Doyle say they never received a penny in royalties.

The pair say they were kicked out of the band, which included Woodbridge singer Charlie Simpson, after Richard Rashman became manager in March 2001.

Tim Penny, representing the pair in the estimated £10million action, told Mr Justice Morgan that Mr Rashman then informed them that their former band colleagues, James Bourne and Matt Willis, would continue to use the name, Busted, and there was nothing they could do about it.

The manager also said the new Busted intended to use the songs written by the four when they were in a band called The Termites, said Mr Penny.

He said the claimants were then put under "undue pressure' by the band's management team to release their claims to songs including Sleeping with the Light On, What I Go to School For, Psycho Girl and Year 3000.

"The pressure placed on the claimants consisted of repeated advice and threats that, unless they released their claims in relation to the group members' songs and in particular the four songs, they would be sued, Ki McPhail's parents would lose their home and the claimants would never work in the industry again.'

Busted went on to sell more than one million singles and two million albums between 2002 and 2005 before breaking up after Simpson quit the band to form the rock outfit Fightstar, which has gone on to achieve critical acclaim.