FOUR of Evesham’s telephone boxes which BT has said are no longer needed are set to be removed, but residents, community groups and organisations have the opportunity to snap one up for just £1.
The telephone operator has taken the decision to discard its phone boxes on Cheltenham Road, Four Pools Road, Burlingham Avenue and Waterside.
In a recent letter to Wychavon District Council explaining their reasons behind the move, BT explained the use of payphones had decreased by 90 per cent in the last decade because of mobile phone usage, as well as the diminishing use for them to be needed in emergency situations.
The letter also revealed how the telephone box on Cheltenham Road had not been used once in the last 12 months, which is in stark contrast to the one on Four Pools Road which has been used 277 times over the same period.
There is currently a 90-day public consultation on the removal of 44 kiosks across Wychavon, which ends on Friday, January 13.
Anyone interested in taking up one of the phone boxes would have to pay a nominal £1 fee and would then be responsible for its upkeep, contents and electricity supply.
The future of the phone boxes will be discussed at the next meeting of Evesham Town Council’s Planning and Estates Committee on Monday, November 28.
But the final decision on whether a phone box is adopted rests with BT.
Any groups or organisations wanting to register their interest should e-mail the Town Clerk at [email protected] or call 01386 443322.
