Government offices have started to handle inquiries over the phone and, even more astonishing, outside normal office hours.

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Sara Taylor, from Project Solace - a partnership of the police, council, and housing agencies, said many tenants wanted a way of getting help when they were affected by anti-social issues outside of normal office hours.

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Sales outlets of MTS' rivals have been overwhelmed by the demand, with queues outside their shops and office hours extended until midnight.

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Studies over the past decade show that people who work at home or outside the office tend to work longer hours, contrary to employers' initial fears.

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Up to 50 protestors blocked Spencer Road outside Ms Anderson's European constituency office, just hours after it was officially opened.

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"I dread to think how many hours of my life I spent sitting in that corridor outside his office waiting for the nod to go in, " Hamilton told BBC Sport.

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It was easy to find Committee Room 2322 in the drab Rayburn office building - just follow the mass of television crews who were milling outside its entrance two hours before the hearing began.

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Grant spent several hours alone in his office and when he left he passed through the crowd that had gathered outside, without speaking.

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