BT is moving to decommission underused public phone boxes in rural North Lincolnshire, citing minimal usage and growing mobile penetration. Planning documents reveal that phone boxes in Kirton in Lindsey and Barrow registered just 15 calls combined over a year.
This forms part of a national downsizing effort, as public call volumes have plummeted by 90% over the past decade. The UK’s phone box network has shrunk by 30% in two years, now standing at 14,000 units.
BT plans to entirely remove the unit on George Street, Kirton, while the red box on Cross Street, Barrow, will be locked and stripped of phone equipment. While mobile coverage continues to improve, some communities remain concerned about connectivity gaps and digital exclusion—particularly in rural areas without consistent signal.
Under the company’s kiosk adoption scheme, organisations and councils can purchase decommissioned units for £1. Many are repurposed as defibrillator stations, book exchanges, or micro-hubs for local services.
A public consultation on the Kirton and Barrow proposals is open until 10 July, with final decisions expected to follow shortly after. For businesses reliant on foot traffic or physical cash access, the removal of multi-use kiosks may require operational adjustments.
Image credit: Stock.adobe.com/Brian Jackson
