Phone boxes in Scarborough could be axed
BT consulting on removing dozens of boxes
Dozens of public phone kiosks in the Scarborough area are set to be removed or closed down by British Telecom. Some 11 have been earmarked in Scarborough town with many others in the rest of the borough, especially the villages.
In total nearly 60 have been highlighted for closure by BT, mainly because of lack of use. Fifteen of the street kiosks have not had even one caller using them in the past year, reveals BT.
A spokesman said BT had 67,000 kiosks through Britain and were used often by people on low incomes or who had no phone or mobile phone at home.
But the money BT had received from its kiosks dropped 50 per cent between 2000 and 2006, according to latest figures and six out of every 10 kiosks lost money.
“However we have a duty in what is known as the Universal Service Obligation, to provide a reasonable number of working phone boxes where they are most needed.”
Now, BT is carrying out a consultation in the Scarborough Council area, seeking the views of the public and parish and town councils.
Kiosks scheduled for closure in Scarborough are at Cross Lane, Coldyhill Lane, The Croft, Scalby Road, Wreyfield Drive, Filey Road, and Napier Crescent. Others in the rural areas are at South Street, Scalby; Staintondale, Reighton, Flixton, Speeton, Cloughton, Burniston, West Barnby, East Barnby, Newholme, South Street, Scalby; Herdborough Road, Eastfield, Cloughton, Muston, Cayton, Lebberston, Gristhorpe, Burniston, Flixton, East Ayton, Snainton, Wykeham, West Ayton and Ruston.
Cllr David Jeffels, former chairman of Rural Action Yorkshire, said: “It is a service which must be retained in such areas, especially in he National Park where mobile phone coverage is at best sporadic and in many cases very poor.”