THE BOSS of troubled Hampshire-based cable giant Virgin Media has quit with a £3.6m pay-off after just 18 months in charge.

As reported in later editions of yesterday's Daily Echo, during his time at the helm Steve Burch oversaw a damaging public row with rival Sky, a botched bid to take over ITV and an aborted sale of the company.

Meanwhile customers, fed up with poor service and the loss of popular shows, left in droves.

Mr Burch, pictured, who leaves with immediate effect, is in line to get a lump sum of about £750,000 - twice his basic salary - as well as shares worth more than £2.8m at current prices.

He already owns shares worth about £1.6m from a payment earlier this year.

Virgin said that his departure back to his US home was for "family and personal reasons".

His wife is understood to be unwell.