RADIO Suffolk's phone-in competitions were cancelled today as the BBC began an urgent review in the wake of a series of misleading contests.All phone-in competitions across the corporation were suspended following a string of viewer deceptions involving Children In Need, Comic Relief and Sports Relief.

RADIO Suffolk's phone-in competitions were cancelled today as the BBC began an urgent review in the wake of a series of misleading contests.

All phone-in competitions across the corporation were suspended following a string of viewer deceptions involving Children In Need, Comic Relief and Sports Relief.

The Corporation's director-general Mark Thompson announced the move - which came into effect at midnight ­- after describing the problem as "totally unacceptable".

All three of the charity appeal programmes featured fake competition winners, while the World Service, children's channel CBBC and radio station 6 Music also duped the public.

At Radio Suffolk phone-in competitions on the morning programmes were halted, even though they were only giving away mugs and CDs.

Radio Suffolk editor Peter Cook said: “We have suspended phone-in competitions while they are reviewed across the corporation, and this is likely to take weeks rather than days.

“We are confident about our own role here in Suffolk and our rules have always been clear, but there can be no exceptions and we are abiding by that.

“But there are still phone-ins to allow listeners to take part in programmes - it is just the competition element that has been suspended.”