Nearly two dozen phone boxes will be removed from Somerset towns and villages in the coming months due to their low usage.

BT recently consulted on proposals to remove phone boxes from across the county which were rarely being used – including six in the county town and a number within the Exmoor national park.

Somerset West and Taunton Council has carried out consultations within these communities ahead of a formal decision by both BT and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

All 23 boxes consulted upon now look set to be removed due to low usage – despite locals in many areas claiming they are essential due to poor mobile phone signal.

The council’s official response to BT’s consultation was published on its website.

Cllr Chris Booth, portfolio holder for communities, said: “With the spread of mobile telephone communications, the need for public telephone boxes has significantly declined over the past few years and is likely to continue, leading to the current proposals.

“The telephone boxes which are the subject of this proposal have been monitored for 12 months by BT and very low usage – in many cases no use at all – has been recorded.”

Where phone boxes are decommissioned and disconnected from the phone network, communities can buy the physical asset and re-purpose it – for instance, for storing a defibrillator.

Several parish councils have objected to the boxes being removed, arguing that limited phone signal into their area will make it difficult to contact the emergency services in times of need.DANIEL MUMBY

Local Democracy Reporting Service