Bid to scrap phone boxes ?horrendous?

PROPOSALS to remove two of East Cornwall?s payphones have been strongly opposed by Calstock Parish Council.

Parish councillors recently discussed the importance of the King Street telephone kiosk after BT earmarked it for removal, but now the facility outside Albaston Post Office is also under threat.

BT says the rise in the number of home phone lines and the increase in mobile phone usage has led to a large drop in revenue for the company but claims it will not scrap any kiosk that is ?vital to the community?.

Four of the parish?s other telephone kiosks at Gunnislake, St Ann?s Chapel, Calstock Quay and Delaware Road will definitely remain but the rest will be considered for closure at a later date.

At a meeting last week Calstock Parish Council agreed to object strongly to the proposals.

Chairman of the council Norma Greenslade said it was ?horrendous? of BT to think they could take away these phone boxes.

Cllr John Roberts said: ?Public phones should be left where they are. I have looked into the usage of these phones and have estimated that 200 emergency calls alone are made from the kiosks in this parish a year ? that is four a week.

?Not everybody has a mobile phone and there are many patches in this area where mobile phones do not work.?