Cost of Love
Luke Armstrong, a 14-year-old got a phone bill of £912 from O2 in one month. Press Association

The thrill of having a girlfriend for the first time has proved costly for a 14-year-old schoolboy as he received a whopping £912 phone bill in just one month, it has been reported.

Luke Armstrong stunned his mother Julie Muller with the staggering amount he spent while talking to his girlfriend. Muller did not get a warning message from the service provider as her son went much over his usual £28 a month usage, according to the Daily Mail.

Luke, a student of Oasis Academy in Chadderton, Oldham, Greater Manchester, went over his 300-minute allowance in November and spent more than £900. His mother believes that the phone company, O2, should have registered the usage as "out of the ordinary," according to the paper.

"Luke got a girlfriend and was using the phone in the middle of the night and at lunch times at school to talk to her. It is quite sweet but when I realised what the bill was I nearly had a heart attack. I think it's shocking that companies like O2 don't give you a warning when you get close to the allowance," the Daily Mail has quoted the boy's mother as saying.

"In the three years that Luke has had his phone, he has only gone over his allowance once, and then only by about £10. He's never done anything like this before and has been a really responsible kid," she added.

The service provider has now asked the mother to pay £168 a month and has blocked the usage until the bill is completely paid off.

"Many parents prefer to provide their children with Pay & Go phones which give them more control over the bills. We have a wide range of tariffs to suit different usage levels and customer's can change these to suit their individual circumstances," the Daily Mail quoted a spokesman of O2 as saying.