Phone Boxes Set To Be Removed

BT is proposing to remove a number of phone boxes across the HFM region, because no-one is using them.

Kiosks in Smeeton Westerby, Gartree, Maidwell, Gilmorton, Broughton Astley, Lutterworth and Welford are among those set to go.

Not a single call has been been made from some of the payphones during the past year.

If the boxes are the red traditional type, communities are being invited to purchase them for a pound and convert them into a community asset once the phone is taken out.

A BT spokesperson told Hfm: “Most people now have a mobile phone and calls made from our public telephones have fallen by around 90 per cent in the past decade.

We consider a number of factors before consulting on the removal of payphones, including whether others are available nearby and usage. We are consulting with District Councils on the removals, providing the community the chance to comment on our proposals.

“As part of the consultation we are also offering communities the chance to adopt traditional red ‘heritage’ phone boxes for just £1 through our Adopt a Kiosk scheme and transform them into something inspirational for their local area.”