HYNDBURN will lose 17 of its public phone boxes because the spread of mobile phones has slashed use of the traditional kiosks by more than a third.

BT says use of public pay phones has dropped by 37 per cent nationally over the last three years.

Coun Tim O'Kane said people on the Field Bottom estate in his Clayton-le-Moors constituency were set to lose their phone box on the corner of Rutland Close and Gloucester Avenue.

The council had learned of the news in a letter from BT.

He added: "We are going to get communities where BT will just come along and remove the kiosks. My grievance is that BT are telling us and it's for us to tell the people. There's no consultation.

"The Field Bottom estate is a low income area and not everyone has a house phone or mobile. People will have to cross a busy main road to get to the nearest pay phone."

Mike Chambers, chief executive of Hyndburn Council, said: "My question was to what extent we could influence this decision and I think it is quite limited.

"There will be families where a mobile phone will not be a good idea. Pay as you go is not very economical. I know what it's like to rely on the phone box at the end of the street and it's a way of accessing vital services.

"I regret the decision but can see that once you move into a world of commercial reality, it leads to decisions of this type."

A spokesman for BT said the company had written to all councils at the beginning of the year, announcing the national programme. It was up to local authorities to let people know because they were the planning authority, he said.

"We have seen a reduction in demand for basic pay phone services of 37 per cent over the last three years, mainly because most people have mobiles.

"We are looking at pay phones that are not being used and where there is an alternative phone nearby. There are too many pay phones to serve the needs of our customers. The idea is to thin out the number".

The boxes are expected to be removed in the New Year. No date has been fixed.