Red Telephone Box by the Library to stay as a ‘Telephone Box’

At a recent meeting of the Town Council Planning Committee it was ‘noted’ that BT had decided that the Telephone Box adjacent to the Library will remain as a live Telephone Box. The last one ‘live’ in Marlborough. BT had wanted to disconnect it.

Their decision was: ‘KEEP – Kiosk is to remain operational’. The reason for this is: ‘Mobile coverage assessed as insufficient’.

The Town Council, supported by Wiltshire Council had argued for the retention of the box as operational and had also argued that the Defibrillator immediately adjacent was another reason why it should stay. Someone could make a ‘999’ call from the box – and possibly save a life – even if they couldn’t get a mobile signal.

The box does need a new door, or lower section anyway as that has rotted away.

Is BT’s decision for the long term? We don’t know, but their reason for disconnecting the box was due to lack of use. We understand that there had only been about a dozen calls made from that box over the past year. So if Marlborough wants to keep its only remaining red telephone box operational – then visit the box and make some calls……..