FOLLOWING a 90-day consultation with town and parish councils, which ended last month, final decisions on the future of nearly 30 pay phones in West Devon have been decided.

West Devon Borough Council (WDBC) held a consultation after being informed by BT that 28 public pay phones had been identified for possible removal in the West Devon area.

Parish and town councils have since consulted, giving their views to WDBC on whether to consent to the removal of the pay phones or object to their removal.

In Tavistock, it was agreed to consent to the removal of the pay phones at Crelake Park, Bannawell Street and Anderton Lane and object to the removal of the pay phone at Tavy Road and the phone box on the junction of Callington Road and Plymouth Road due to the level of use and social need.

Tavistock Town Council made the recommendations at a meeting of its plans committee after looking at the level of usage over the previous 12 months.

Decisions on other pay phones in the area include objections to the removal of the phone boxes at Milton Combe and The Green at Milton Abbot and consent to remove the pay phone at Mill Hill Cottages at Mill Hill. It had also been agreed for Lamerton Parish Council to adopt the pay phone near Jenn House at Rushford.

This list of final decisions will now be put forward by WDBC to the Secretary of State and BT.

Cllr Benson, West Devon Borough Council’s lead member for the environment, said: ‘Unfortunately the issue around disconnecting these BT phone boxes is a sign of the times, with most residents using mobile phones when out and about.

‘The majority of the phone boxes related to this consultation have been used less than 12 times in a year with consideration being given to those pay phones that are in isolated areas or near suicide or accident hotspots.’