BT told it can cull call boxes

BT has been given the go-ahead to remove thousands of public phone boxes from the streets. Twenty-six thousand - or 28% - have already vanished over the last three years.

New rules published yesterday by Ofcom, the telecom watchdog, mean BT will be able to remove another 6,000 without giving local communities a say.

Currently, a call box can be removed without consultation or fear of veto if BT can show an alternative within a 100 metre radius.

Under the new rules, this has been extended to 400 metres. This will allow BT to remove more boxes without consulting those affected.

The rise of mobile phones has seen the use of public boxes decline. There are now 65,000 left around the country.

Under the new rules, BT will also be allowed to swap up to 30 per cent of remaining phone boxes to cashless machines. These will take only phonecards and allow users to dial the emergency services or the operator. Local groups, including parish and district councils, will no longer have the right to veto the removal of phone boxes. In future, only county councils will have the power of veto.

An Ofcom spokesman said the need for phone boxes had diminished. 'We have taken this decision on the basis of the increased use of mobile phones, particularly among vulnerable groups such as pensioners,' he said.

A BT spokesman said: 'About two thirds of the street phone boxes are making a loss. There is a lot of expense involved in maintaining and servicing phone boxes which take cash.'