BRITISH Telecom’s proposal to remove 33 payphones in South Lakeland including ones at Elterwater, Rydal, Grasmere, Troutbeck Bridge, Hawkshead Hill, Far Sawrey, Blue Hill, and Clappersgate has been strongly opposed by local people, according to South Lakeland District Council’s recent 90-day public consultation.

BT said its plans to remove public phones were based on figures showing that overall use of payphones had declined by more than 90 per cent in the last decade and their provision for use in emergency situations was diminishing all the time.

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At least 98 per cent of the UK had either 3G or 4G coverage, enabling mobile phone users to call the emergency services even if they had no credit on their phone or no coverage from their own mobile provider.

However, those who responded to the consultation, including local councils, said that South Lakeland’s ageing population and the isolation of many rural villages provided plenty of reasons for retaining payphones in sparsely populated areas, where a payphone was a safety measure in emergencies.

Twenty per cent of SLDC residents are retired, many of whom do not use the internet or mobile phones, and 18 per cent of the population also have a disability or long-term illness.

Residents pointed out that many areas in South Lakeland had poor mobile phone coverage and internet infrastructure and would rely on payphones in an emergency.

Emergency response times could be particularly slow, so the speed of initial contact with the emergency services was vitally important.

Communication was important during adverse weather and much of the district was still recovering from Storm Desmond, when bridges and roads were badly damaged and whole areas cut off.

During conditions like this, payphones played a vital role as a source of reliable communication and a way for communities to report and receive important information.

Annual visitor numbers had reached 16.9 million, including many cyclists and walkers who might rely on payphones to report emergencies.

Data supplied by BT over the past 12 months also showed that some payphones under threat of removal had actually recorded regular usage.

Statistics recording usage in some payphones might also have been affected if a particular payphone was out of order, sometimes for several months.

Out of order payphones were often left to deteriorate and some were in a poor or filthy condition, which discouraged people from using them.

The responses from SLDC’s consultation have been circulated to local councils.

Last November, Lakes Parish Council agreed to resist removal of at least three of the most heavily used public payphones in the area, in locations where there are poor mobile signals.

These include the payphone at Elterwater from which 329 calls were made in 12 months, and the phone adjacent to The Swan at Grasmere, which recorded 139 calls and may get many more if other payphones in the area are removed.

Councillors also want to retain the Rydal payphone at the junction of the A591 with Rydal Hill.