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VILLAGERS have been left fuming at plans to scrap phone boxes near their homes.

Residents are calling on BT to call off plans to get rid of 52 phone boxes in rural Wiltshire, including those in Odstock, Alderbury, Farley, Pitton, South Newton, Whiteparish, Newton Tony and Chilmark.

The company has come up with a list of payphones it says no longer cover their costs and has earmarked them for removal, following public consultation, but villagers have vowed to fight to save them.

"In our village, we don't get mobile phone reception so to remove the phone box is ridiculous," said Terri Jackson from East Grimstead.

"If there was a fire or other emergency then we would rely on the payphone to call 999.

"There are elderly people who don't have mobile telephones and may need to use the phone box."

The consultation period comes to an end on July 2 and details of the payphones listed for removal and how residents can make their views known can be found on Salisbury District Council's website.

A BT spokesman said: "In ten per cent of our phone boxes, less than one call is made each month.

"Each one costs £1,000 a year to maintain and they are just no longer viable. BT is a business and must face its commercial pressures.

"There are 172 pay phones in Salisbury. Of these, five will go anyway because there is another phone box within 400 yards and we are consulting on another 53.

"We want this to be an open process and are inviting everyone affected to let us know their views."

• For an in-depth report see the May 22 edition of the Salisbury Journal.

3:28pm Monday 19th May 2008

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