The cable company has won thousands more broadband users, but says that virulent code is partly responsible for scaring others away. The swarm of viruses that plagued computer users this summer was a factor in driving some broadband users away from Telewest, the cable company said on Thursday. In its financial results for the third quarter of this year, Telewest blamed the effect of malicious code for lost broadband users, along with house moves and teething problems with a backend system. Telewest argues the effect of viruses on its business is part of a wider trend of malicious code, spam and other Internet nuisances turning consumers away from the Internet. “Broadband churn rose in the [third] quarter to 14.7 percent due mainly to three issues which affected the early part of the quarter; a much publicised increase in virus activity, stability issues following an email platform upgrade and the seasonal effect of increased customer property moves in the summer months,” Telewest told investors. Full Story