Phone boxes face removal as usage declines

Kirton resident Nigel Charlton says he believes phone boxes are "ancient"

They once played a key role in communication across the UK but, over the years, many telephone boxes have disappeared. Two more could soon be gone in North Lincolnshire.

There are plans to remove the phone boxes in Kirton in Lindsey and Barrow upon Humber, which are owned by telecommunications company BT, because the firm says they are "not used enough".

The number of BT-operated payphones in the UK peaked at about 92,000 in 1992. Today, there are just 14,000 working ones left.

Kirton in Lindsey resident Nigel Charlton, 66, said he would not miss the village phone box. "They're ancient. They belong in a museum, don't they?" he said.

Gaming centre owner Chris Allsopp does not have a landline in his store

Data submitted to North Lincolnshire Council's planning portal states the Kirton phone box had eight calls made from it in 12 months, while the one in Barrow was used seven times.

Chris Allsopp owns gaming centre The Brick Hut in Kirton in Lindsey. He said: "We don't even have a landline in the shop, we use a mobile."

According to BT, 98% of the UK population owns a mobile phone and calls made through its public phones have fallen by about 90% in the past decade.

Resident Lindsey Shelley, 40, added: "Nobody uses it."

There are plans to remove the phone and lock the door of the phone box in Barrow upon Humber

The telephone box in Kirton in Lindsey also has a cash withdrawal machine installed.

Ms Shelley, who has lived in Kirton in Lindsey for eight years and uses the cash machine regularly, said she "never knew" it was a phone box.

However, Caroline Ali, who works at a charity shop in the village, said she would miss the phone box if it were to go.

"There's a lot of people who don't have access to the internet in rural areas," she said.

Caroline Ali says phone boxes are needed in emergencies

"If there was a genuine emergency and I couldn't get a signal on my phone, this would be the nearest thing that I could come to.

"All these things are getting taken away from us and sometimes they're going to be needed. It's definitely a bad thing".

BT has proposed removing the phone box on George Street in Kirton, while it is planning to remove the telephony equipment and lock the door of the red box on Cross Street in Barrow.

A consultation on the plans runs until 10 July.

Over the past two years, the number of phone boxes in the UK has decreased from 20,000 to 14,000.

A community can adopt most phone boxes for as little as £1 and modern glass boxes can be adopted to house a defibrillator.

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