COUNCILLORS have defended BT's controversial plans to remove large numbers of phone boxes from across the district.

BT has carried out a review of its 62,000 call boxes across Britain and found 60% of them no longer cover their maintenance costs.

Now the company is looking at removing many of them, including 15 in the Chard, Ilminster and Crewkerne area.

Though the move has been criticised by some residents saying BT should provide a service, South Somerset District Council's Area West committee last week said it could not blame the company for looking to reduce its costs.

Cllr Ric Pallister said: "Is it really fair that we're asking BT to keep this expensive service going?

"It would probably be cheaper to give out grants to people to buy a pay-as-you-go mobile!

"Some of these phone boxes probably are only used three or four times a year.

"The statistics speak for themselves and I don't think all these phones are essential.

"Admittedly we haven't got any facts to base this decision on, but on the face of it I think we're backing a horse that has already lost the race."

Cllr Nigel Mermagen said: "In years to come a red phone box will be something you remember from your childhood, no different to horse drinking troughs - modern technology will see to that."

Among the local phone boxes earmarked for removal include two at Tatworth and Forton, Buckland St Mary, Donyatt, Dowlish Wake, Whitelackington, Chaffcombe, Haselbury Plucknett, Wayford, Ashill, East Chinnock, and those at Severalls Park Avenue in Crewkerne, Hewish in West Crewkerne, and Culverhayes and Montague Way in Chard.

Cllr Linda Vijeh said people had spoken of their concerns about losing the services in Donyatt and Ashill.

"Some of these phone boxes might be in remote areas or in areas of low income," she said.

"People might not have landline phones or mobiles."

Cllr Angie Singleton said: "This is a cost-cutting exercise, and those people who will suffer will be the vulnerable and those on low incomes."

Councillors are to write to BT asking for more information about how heavily used the phone boxes are and whether those areas have good reception for mobile networks.