A NUMBER of BT Telephone boxes in West Dunbartonshire are set to be culled over a lack of use.

The Reporter has learned that in some case, usage of the telephone boxes have plummeted by 90 per cent- with some going totally unused.

A report which went before members of West Dunbartonshire Council's Planning Committee last Wednesday requested: "That the Council respond to the consultation agreeing to the removal of 11 payphones, but request that BT reconsider proposals to remove three payphones at Argyll Street, Alexandria; Bellsmyre Avenue, Dumbarton and Maple Drive or Dickens Avenue, Clydebank."

The report also went into the background of the issue, saying: "The use of payphones has declined by over 90% over the last decade as a result of the rise in mobile phone ownership, and as a result many payphones have become uneconomic and have low usage.

"Although the number of BT payphones in Scotland has already been reduced significantly (from 6,962 in 2003 to around 4,800 today). Some 1,280 of the payphones in Scotland had fewer than 5 calls made over the last year, and 700 of these had no calls made at all.

"In response to this, BT is currently proposing to remove over 1,500 further payphones across Scotland."

There are currently 61 BT payphones within the West Dunbartonshire area (a figure which does not include other public telephones such as those within supermarkets, garages etc.).

Fourteen existing payphones within West Dunbartonshire have been proposed for removal.

The following payphones were proposed for removal, with the number of telephone calls made over the last 12 months provided for information: Rosshead (Colquhoun Dr.) Alexandria 551, Argyll St./North Main St. Alexandria 137, Tullichewan (Craig Av.) Alexandria 15, Thomas St. Alexandria 11, Haldane (Cook Rd./Brown St.) Balloch 0, Ladyton Bonhill 0, Redburn/Pappert Bonhill 0, Bellsmyre (Whiteford Av./Whiteford Gdns.) Dumbarton 93, Bellsmyre (Bellsmyre Av./Valeview Ter.) Dumbarton 15, Dumbarton Rd./Whyte Corner Milton 0, Boquhanran (Dickens Av.) Clydebank 4, Parkhall (Rowan Dr./Poplar Dr.) Clydebank 3, Parkhall (Maple Dr.) Clydebank 0, Faifley (Faifley Rd./Langfaulds Cres.) Clydebank 0.

Following discussions, BT have withdrawn proposals to remove two further payphones which had originally been included in the consultation.

These had been proposed for removal due to excessive vandalism costs rather than lack of use but the problems at these locations have apparently declined recently: Brucehill (Brucehill Rd. shops) Dumbarton 1165, Duntocher (Dumbarton Rd./Duntiglennan Rd.) Clydebank 401.

At last Wednesday's meeting members agreed to the removal of several payphones, but requested that BT reconsider proposals for the ones at Rosshead (Colquhoun Drive) Argyll St (North Main Street) and Whiteford Avenue (Bellsmyre) and Parkall (Rowan Drive/Poplar Drive).