Anger as last bell sounds for Ironbridge phone box

But the old fashioned red telephone box in the town's square has been listed for removal.

The move has angered locals, who say it adds character to the popular tourist destination.

And they say that, unlike many other phone boxes in the county, it is actually reasonably well used.

The box made almost 600 calls last year –enough, locals say, to justify its survival.

A total of 30 phone boxes are under threat across the Telford & Wrekin Council area, with a further 214 up for closure in the Shropshire Council area. It is part of a widespread removal of boxes because of mobile phones and the internet.

BT says many phone boxes in rural locations aren't used at all and do not justify the cost of maintaining them.

But communities in rural locations say they act as a vital insurance policy in times of emergency, especially in a county where both mobile and broadband signals are patchy.

Councillors in Ironbridge say its phone boxes are much-needed and well-used.

There are two payphones at risk in the Ironbridge Gorge.

A total of 570 calls were made from the red phone box in The Square, Ironbridge. Another box in the town had 28 calls made in the last 12 months.

Councillor Nicola Lowery, ward member for the Ironbridge Gorge said: "I have formally objected to the proposed removal of the two payphones within the Ironbridge Gorge Ward.

"In the event of an emergency the payphones are a vital resource to the community and are also highly valued by those with limited communication links for everyday use."

Councillor Lowery said a live rescue demonstration across the Gorge, dubbed Exercise Simul, which took place in October demonstrated the risks that the Gorge faces, which would make payphones essential, as mobile phone signal is not always reliable within Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale and Coalport.

She added: "The Ironbridge Gorge faces many risks and is which include flooding and land instability, therefore the management of risk and communication links are essential.

"Removing the payphones has the potential to significantly affect public safety should we face such an event.

"In addition to this, the payphone in the Square has the highest number of calls of any payphone listed within the proposed removal, therefore evidencing the everyday need for a payphone in this location."