Moves to get rid of 21 British Telecom phoneboxes from Kendal have sparked fears among town councillors.

They are concerned the lack of kiosks could leave some people who did not have private telephones or mobiles without a line of communication. They are also unhappy that victims and witnesses of crimes and road accidents could find themselves without a way of reporting events to the police.

Coun Jean Ewing said phoneboxes could be "a crucial line of communication" on housing estates, and some people in her ward did not have a telephone at home. She said the kiosk at the junction of Green Road and Windermere Road had always been used in emergencies such as road accidents.

Coun David Birkett felt visitors to the town needed phoneboxes at locations such as the Market Place, the bus station and Peppercorn Lane car park.

The moves by BT would leave Sandylands housing estate without a single public phonebox, warned Coun Paul Braithwaite.

Coun Tom Clare said that if someone was mugged and their mobile phone stolen they would need to be able to ring for help. A network of kiosks must be kept for emergencies, he stressed.

Coun Simon Butterfield said he had witnessed break-ins at the Sandylands Spar while walking home from nights on the town, and he had been able to alert the police by public phone.

Coun Chris Mayho suggested that, where there were two call boxes together, BT could take one of the boxes away, for example outside the Friends Meeting House at Stramongate, next to the Working Men's Institute in the Market Place, at Peppercorn Lane car park, and at the junction of Milnthorpe Road and South Road.

It was agreed that BT should be invited to meet with a group of councillors, show them a map of current phone locations, and take part in negotiations to keep as many of the threatened boxes as possible in Kendal.

February 14, 2003 10:30