CALLS have been made to repair two ‘iconic’ Grade II-listed telephone boxes.

The traditional payphones stand outside XLCR House in Albert Street, Colne, and need to be restored after falling into disrepair, according to Cllr Dorothy Lord, who represents the area on Pendle Council.

One of the boxes has become unusable after its door was wedged shut and the phone set ripped off.

Cllr Lord said the boxes, which are owned bt BT, have been in a poor condition for a long time.

She said: “They stick out like a sore thumb now.

“They’re not an eye sore because they are iconic but they should be brought back to their former glory.

“But it is a real shame one of them cannot be used because it was damaged.

“It’s so disappointing.

“Given proper treatment, they will be brilliant and look bright and colourful again.

“They stand in front of one of Colne’s prettiest buildings and they should reflect that.”

BT announced last year that more than 100 phone boxes in East Lancashire could disappear after the firm unveiled plans to remove them after a decline in use.

Many of the boxes have now been bought by community groups or parish councils to be used for other purposes.

The boxes in Albert Road are protected and cannot be removed.

Cllr Lord said: “I lived around the corner from the boxes for more than 36 years and I remember when everyone used to queue up and use it.

“They were used so regularly and have been part of the town for such a long time.

“It would be a shame for them to get any worse.”

A BT spokesman said the company rely on people to report payphones that need to be looked at.

He said: “The phone box with the number that ends in 3099 in Albert Road will be repaired within the next two weeks after we have sent an engineer out to replace the phone.

“It self-reported the damage to our main hub.

“For the box with the number ending in 3364 on the same road, we will go out and assess its condition.

“We have not received any notification from the public to say the boxes are in need of repair.

“We will look to repaint both of the phone boxes sometime this year."

To report a fault or damage to a BT Payphone email customer.serv.payphones@bt.com with the telephone number and location of the faulty phonebox.