More British papers dragged into hacking row

LONDON - Phone-hacking allegations spread beyond the fallen News of the World to other British tabloids on Saturday, though the claims were strongly denounced by their proprietors.

Former journalists at the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror - the main tabloid competitors to Rupert Murdoch's British stable - reportedly said the illegal hacking of voicemails was widespread at their papers too.

The scandal has also rocked the British police and even given Prime Minister David Cameron a rough ride, but has so far largely been limited to the News of the World, which Murdoch shut on July 7 amid public outrage.