On 12 January I undertook a land charge search against an estate owner, over the telephone with the Land Registry's telephone search service.

The operator told me that there were no subsisting entries.

Fortunately, this was not a case where I was relying on the results of that search to effect the completion of the transaction.

Nonetheless, the result of that telephone search did cause me to take a slightly confrontational position with another firm of solicitors, to the enforceability of a restrictive covenant.

Imagine my horror, therefore, when on the next morning, I received the paper result of the search, which disclosed no fewer than 12 entries against the particular landowner.

I was forced to eat humble pie with the other firm of solicitors, and naturally, I took the matter up with the Land Charges Registry.

I have received an apology and an assurance that the systems problem that caused the error was being rectified.

But, while I am pleased to hear that the Land Registry is moving quickly to rectify the fault, I along with a great many other practitioners will no doubt be horrified at the thought of how many transactions we undertake where we rely on the result of telephone searches.

Stephen Wallis, Michael Cullen & Partners, Billericay, Essex