A home removals company have been inundated with prank calls regarding the Icelandic volcano over the past week – by people complaining about volcanic ash.

Simon Fennemore, owner of aptly named Ash Removals, said he had been bombarded by calls from a mix of serious, misguided individuals and out-right jokers demanding to know when the ash will be sorted out so they can go on holiday.

Mr Fennemore said both he and business partner Adam Dracott have had lots of people stopping their branded removal lorries and telling them: “You’re not doing a very good job are you – I’m meant to be in Menorca on holiday with the missus.”

He said: “A lot of it is quite light-hearted, and we just say, ‘yep, really sorry to hear your plight’.

“Yesterday, a group of cyclists passed by my lorry, and one of them said they were meant to be on a cycling holiday in Spain but had to go to Richmond Park instead.”

Although Mr Fennemore said that most of it was good-natured banter, they had also received calls from angry people who had clearly misunderstood the name of the business.

“Some of them genuinely seem to think we are some kind of high-altitude vacuum cleaner,” said the baffled removals man.

“Although it was initially quite jovial, in the last few days it’s getting to the point where the shock factor has settled and people are getting quite irate and want us to do something about it.

“Some of them seem to want to get rid of the frustration. One woman who called up was completely furious at the fact that she might not be able to go on holiday.

“Even though I kept explaining to her that we were a furniture removal company, she was ignoring the substance of what I was saying and said that she was due to fly out on Sunday and what were we going to do about it?”

He added: “I have to just stay level-headed. But it’s certainly a strange set of circumstances to find ourselves in.”

Mr Fennemore and Mr Dracott, who both grew up in Guildford, decided to call their company Ash Removals after the previous owner, Ashley, who they bought it from last year.

Despite the hassle from jokers and irate callers alike, Mr Fennemore said the volcanic ash drama had been good for business.

“People who have been searching for ash information have stumbled across our company,” he said.