Vodafone has suspended a member of staff after an obscene message was posted
on the mobile firm's official Twitter account. 

The explicit update made disparaging reference to homosexuals and indicated that the author planned to spend their evening pursuing women. 

The tweet provoked dozens of complaints from other users of the micro-blogging site and was taken down within minutes of being posted this afternoon. 

Initial speculation suggested the @VodafoneUK account, which has more than 8,800 followers, had been hacked. 

But the firm later released a statement indicating the message was the work of a rogue member of staff. 

It read: "This afternoon an employee posted an obscene message from the official Vodafone UK Twitter profile. 

"The employee has been suspended immediately and we have started an internal investigation.  This was not a hack and we apologise for any offence the tweet may have caused." 

It also directed personal apologies to customers who complained over Twitter.  They read: "We're really sorry.  A severe breach of rules by staff in our building, dealing with that internally.  Please keep your faith in us." 

Followers of the@VodafoneUK account are usually treated to a less contentious blend of technical advice and new product information.