Herefordshire urged to speak up for doomed telephone boxes

Eighteen unloved telephone kiosks in Herefordshire will certainly be axed by BT unless local people speak up in their defence.

Herefordshire Council is leading a campaign to save 110 pay phones - or one in three of all telephone boxes in the county - after BT announced it wanted to scrap them because they did not make enough profit.

Having written to all parish councils about the threat, the council says that many communities are worried that if the telephones go, there will be no emergency lifeline available as mobile telecommunications coverage is limited in rural areas. So far, the council has evidence from the community on 92 of the boxes - but says BT will not hesitate to close the remaining 18 kiosks that are not supported by the local community.

Seven of the doomed boxes are in Ross-On-Wye or the surrounding area, two near Leominster, one near Ledbury, one in Hereford's Westfaling Street, and the rest in communities dotted around the county.

The council had previously identified 111 boxes at risk until BT whisked one away from the village of Monkland near Leominster last month without any consultation.

BT originally set the deadline for consultation as 2 July. But after lobbying the telecommunications regulator Ofcom, the council secured a deadline extension until 26 September. This is because BT was late in posting notification of the consultation in kiosks that could be closed.

Herefordshire Council is compiling a submission to the telecommunications giant by 26 September, and will consult local people on the document later in the month. The council says it has three main concerns about BT's consultation:

1. BT has provided no evidence to show how telephone kiosks are used in emergencies, they have said only that they are not used sufficiently for them to be profitable. The service obligation with the regulator means that BT cannot use money as a reason for closure.

2. BT needs to undertake a survey of mobile phone coverage in Herefordshire as part of their evidence supporting any proposals for pay phone closure, as this issue is crucial to BT's obligation to maintain this line of communication in the event of an emergency.

3. BT has failed to present options for local people to consider - other than closure. Communities need to be allowed to put forward other ideas that might result in the telephone boxes becoming more viable.

People concerned about losing their local pay phone can contact Anthony Bush on 01432 260611; or email: abush@herefordshire.gov.uk or write to him at Herefordshire Council, Plough Lane, PO Box 4, Hereford, HR4 0XH.