ROSS-on-Wye town councillors have sent a strong letter of objection to BT over the proposed removal of two payphones in the town.

The council have requested that the decision to remove the two payphones, at River View and Three Crosses, should be reviewed.

At last month’s management meeting members debated that the loss would result in a serious shortfall of payphones in Ross-on-Wye and that the move shows a lack of consideration for those with no access to a mobile phone.

The councillors believe that this would pose a significant risk to the welfare and safeguarding of young and vulnerable people, especially with the close proximity of the local High School.

Data provided by BT revealed that the River View payphone had been used for 50 calls which included five helpline calls and the Three Crosses phone used for 23 calls with two helpline calls during a period of 12 months covering 2022/23.

The council feels that despite the phone boxes’ limited use, this is still proof that there is a need for the provision of this service.

The council is seeking the help of residents to lodge their objections to the proposed removal of the two payphones to BT by emailing [email protected] and quoting the call box ID numbers: 01989564698 for River View and 01989763153 for Three Crosses.

A BT spokesperson said: “We consulted with Herefordshire Council on plans to remove five redundant payphones in the area as part of our wider programme to remove underused payphones across the UK.

“These removals are being carried out in line with Ofcom’s latest guidance.

“With the vast majority of people now using mobile phones, it’s led to a huge drop in the number of calls made from payphones. At the same time, mobile coverage has improved significantly in recent years due to investment in masts and the Shared Rural Network programme.”

Members of Ross Town Council were informed at its recent meeting that BT is currently revisiting its closure decision in line with Ofcom’s guidelines following the town council’s request for a review. The council will be notified by the end of April.