Iconic red telephone boxes earmarked for removal across Stratford-upon-Avon District

A total of 74 public payphones - including a number of classic red boxes - have been earmarked for potential removal from villages such as Bidford-on-Avon and Salford Priors across the Stratford-on-Avon District.

BT, which owns the payphones, has launched a consultation with councils and communities across the district, offering up the chance to adopt a traditional red box.

Councillor Joe Harvey, chair of Bidford Parish Council, said he was not aware of the consultation into phone boxes in The Leys and Holland Close.

He said: "We will take a very careful look at what is on offer and what we are being asked to do, and what is in the interests of parishioners."

A spokesman for BT said: "BT is committed to providing a public payphone service, but with usage declining by over 90 per cent in the last decade, we’ve continued to review and remove payphones which are no longer needed.

"Any removal of payphones is carried out in strict adherence to the Ofcom guidelines and, where appropriate, with the consent of local authorities. (If the local authority does not want us to remove a phone box then we won’t.

"Overall, more than half of our estate is loss-making, with a third making less than one call a month."

A spokesman for The Twentieth Century Society, which campaigns to protect the heritage of British design, said: "We have long campaigned for the retention and celebration of the red telephone box, which is a much loved feature on our streets and a vibrant symbol of twentieth century British culture. They should be cherished."

To comment on the proposed removals, visit www.stratford.gov.uk/btpayphones2016 or email consultation@stratford-dc.gov.uk by 5pm on Thursday, December 9.

All feedback will be passed on to BT as part of the consultation. The BT consultation will close on 7 January 2017.

For more information about adopting a telephone box, visit business.bt.com/phone-services/payphone-services/adopt-a-kiosk/