RURAL Herefordshire stands to lose nearly all of its remaining “lifeline” public pay phones – and Herefordshire Council has been accused of failing to tell the county of the possible call box cuts.

Lucy Hurds, the Liberal Democrat would-be MP for North Herefordshire, says the council left it too late to tell councillors and communities about BT’s cost cutting plan to take many call boxes away from the county, leaving people little time to answer for their phones.

The Tory-run council doesn’t like that tone and instead wants to engage an all-party line on keeping the 70-100 boxes open, claiming any faults over consultation lay with BT.

Industry regulator Ofcom has already heard from the council about the closures and individual parishes are mobilising to make protests of their own.

The council has now extended its consultation deadline to Friday, July 18, and is encouraging residents to make their views known.

But Mrs Hurds told the Hereford Times that the council had been aware of the possible closures as early as April 2 when BT wrote to the chief planning officer giving 90 days notice and stressing the authority’s responsibility to canvass views.

“Having received the full details, the council failed to notify anyone of BT’s plans until June 12 when county councillors were informed by e-mail,” said Ms Hurds.

But the council has said the problems lay with BT and council leader Roger Phillips said the company now needed to think outside the box over the future for payphones.

“This is a multi-billion pound company that can afford to engage rural communities and parish councils and allow them to make representations or come up with ideas,” he said.

A lot of the payphones set to go are dotted across north Herefordshire. Leominster MP Bill Wiggin – who first raised the issue in early June – said BT had to look beyond the commercial value of the boxes.

Emergency use was, he said, a much harder value to calculate.

People concerned about losing their local pay phone can contact Anthony Bush at the council on 01432 260611 or email abush@herefordshire.

gov.uk. They can also write to him at Herefordshire Council, Plough Lane, PO Box 4, Hereford, HR4 0XH.