Public Service

This week we saw further evidence that the former public utilities are abandoning their commitment to public service.

BT has offered the three remaining red telephone kiosks, at Cannards Grave Road, Charlton Road and outside the Downside Inn to the Town Council for them to adopt, this with the clear intention of removing these payphone kiosks from service.

Whilst it may be that these payphone kiosks do not receive heavy use, two of the three are on the edges of Town, these serve an important public service in a semi-rural setting.

The A37 has been labelled a Red Route by Somerset County Council, this is because this road has a high level of serious and fatal accidents at various junctions, the Downside payphone kiosk is 100 yards from one of these junctions, so one day, this payphone kiosk could be of critical importance.

Over the previous decade, BT has tried to remove several payphone kiosks in the Town, BT has removed 31,000 payphone kiosks nationally in that period.