Do you want to keep your local public payphone?

BT Payphones is formally consulting South Derbyshire District Council about its plans to remove public payphones.

At a meeting of the full Council on Thursday 3 July, 2008 Councillors joined together to condemn the removal of public payphones.

Says Cllr Heather Wheeler, Leader of South Derbyshire District Council, “Just because younger people have mobile phones, doesn’t mean that the rest of the population doesn’t need to have a local phonebox. With the credit crunch, it could be that people have to give up the luxury of a mobile phone or even a phone in the home. How could they contact their friends and families or the emergency services in a crisis if the local phone has gone?

“I know many elderly people who have mobiles provided by their families but they never use them as not everyone feels at ease with new technology. BT Payphones are considering removing public phoneboxes in the more populated areas of Midway, Castle Gresley, Hartshorne, Melbourne and also the more rural villages of Church Broughton, Stanton by Bridge, Thulston, Shardlow, Cauldwell, Smisby, Findern, Linton, Egginton, Etwall and Coton in the Elms. Not everyone can afford a mobile or their own phone. Are these people to be isolated from the rest of the world? What happens if a school pupil doesn’t have a mobile or hasn’t enough credit and they need to contact their parents to get home? How are you supposed to cope if your car breaks down?”

If you would like to make your voice heard, please write to or email the Policy Team, Corporate Services, Civic Way, Swadlincote, Derbyshire DE11 0AH or yourviews@south-derbys.gov.uk by 5pm on Monday 14 July, 2008.

9 July, 2008

Note to editors

The public payphones being considered for removal are at the following locations.

• James St, Midway, Swadlincote
• Outside Rodney Inn, Main St, Hartshorne, Swadlincote
• Goseley Ave, Hartshorne, Swadlincote
• Junction of Princess St, Castle Rd, Castle Gresley, Swadlincote
• Main St, Church Broughton, Derby
• Outside John Port School, Main Street, Etwall, Derby
• Junction of The Green, Main St, Egginton, Derby
• Main St, Cauldwell, Swadlincote, Derbyshire
• Greenacre Park, Coton In The Elms, Swadlincote
• Main St, Rosliston, Swadlincote
• Coton Park, Linton, Swadlincote
• Outside Post Office, Church Ave, Hatton, Derby
• Junction of Burton Road, Doles Lane, Findern, Derby
• Junction of Broad Lane, Yew Tree Lane, Thulston, Derby
• Outside Shardlow School, Ambaston Lane, Shardlow, Derby
• Outside Stable Cottage, Derby Rd, Stanton By Bridge, Derby
• Outside Leisure Centre, High Street, Melbourne, Derby
• Near Post Office, Main St, Smisby, Ashby De La Zouch