BT plans to scrap one in five of its phone boxes

BT is consulting on plans to scrap 664 phone boxes across Scotland – one in five of its current network.

Telephone boxes on the Royal Mile at 63-67 High Street which are going to be converted.

Around a third of the 202 boxes earmarked for closure are traditional red phone boxes, which the firm hopes communities will “adopt” and utilise for a different purpose such as housing a defibrillator, mini-library or local information centre.

BT says calls made from public telephones have fallen by around 90 per cent in the past decade, with some boxes registering no outgoing calls over the past year.

However, politicians have called for phone boxes to be retained, warning that they remained important methods of communication for rural communities.

Colin Smyth, Scottish Labour infrastructure and connectivity spokesman said: “Public phone boxes are still very important to many communities in Scotland, especially in rural areas. BT should rethink this immediately.”

Dean Lockhart, Scottish Conservative shadow economy secretary, said: “This is yet another depressing cut to rural lifestyle and convenience that BT should think really hard about.

“Over recent years many small villages in Scotland have seen their local amenities such as banks, post offices and cash machines removed, it is so sad that now phone boxes are also under threat.”

He added: “Obviously the vast majority of people have mobile phones, but not everyone does and rural signal can be patchy, so in emergencies phone boxes can be crucial.”

A spokesman for BT, which has a network of 3,300 phone boxes still in operation across Scotland said: “Calls made from our public telephones have fallen by around 90 per cent in the past decade. We consider a number of factors before consulting on the removal of payphones, including whether others are available nearby and usage. If a local authority objects to any payphone removal, we won’t remove it.

“We are also offering communities the chance to adopt red ‘heritage’ phone boxes for just £1 through our Adopt a Kiosk scheme and transform them into something inspirational for their local area.”

BT is replacing more than 1,000 payphones with new digital hubs, which provide free public Wi-Fi, phone calls, device charging and a tablet for access to city services, maps and directions.

Under the adopt-a-phone box scheme, BT will continue to provide electricity, if already in place, to power the light for adopted kiosks. Modern-style boxes can also be retained by communities – but only for defibrillators. More than 370 payphones have been adopted by communities in Scotland since 2008.