Concern over plans to remove phone boxes from Cheviot foothills

Wooler Parish Council is concerned about BT’s plans, which include the removal of the phone boxes at Kirknewton, Ingram Bridge and Southern Knowe.

However, statistics show that just one call was made from Ingram Bridge over the past year, while neither Kirknewton or Southern Knowe were used.

Milfield, which is also under threat, was used eight times.

Coun Anthony Murray, member for Wooler on Northumberland County Council, said: “I have made as strong a case as I can that they should be there. There is not always a good mobile signal and if anything happens up in the valleys at least there is a phone box people can get to.”

There are 79 public phone boxes across Northumberland under threat.

Phone box use is down 90% since 2009, BT says.