Call to save 'vital' village phone box answered by BT

For years the beautiful village green at Atwick in East Yorkshire has been graced by its grade two listed red phone box.
The phone box after it was wrecked by a carThe phone box after it was wrecked by a car
The phone box after it was wrecked by a car

In an area where mobile signals are patchy at best, it is also potentially a life-saver, as it's just a few metres away from the village's defibrillator, on the outside wall of the Black Horse Pub.

But when a car ran into the K6 red phone box in May and wrecked it, it looked like it was lost forever.

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But BT have now relented after hundreds of residents took the time to fill in the village survey to say they wanted to see the return of the phone box on the village green.

The picture-perfect phone box in Atwick before the accident in MayThe picture-perfect phone box in Atwick before the accident in May
The picture-perfect phone box in Atwick before the accident in May

In early June BT put up a notice on the site to say they had removed the remains of the box and that anyone who wished to comment should contact East Riding Council.

Mike Crowther, Chairman of Atwick Parish Council said “The telephone box had Listed Building status which the parish council gained in order to preserve the unique visual aspect of Atwick village green.

"Atwick is a tourist village and in a conservation area. The phone box was an important part of the village both visually and, equally significantly, as a vital resource.

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"The parish council carried out a local survey to establish the extent of support for the reinstatement of the phone box, and the result is that the community is overwhelmingly in favour of it – that is overwhelmingly in favour of a working telephone box housed in a refurbished K6 box.

The picture-perfect phone box in Atwick before the accident in MayThe picture-perfect phone box in Atwick before the accident in May
The picture-perfect phone box in Atwick before the accident in May

"The parish council submitted its comments, and the results of the survey to East Riding Council, to pass on to BT’s consultation."

The parish council also asked Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart to step in.

Mr Stuart said: "The parish council wants to see the box back, residents do, and so do I.

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“The K6 telephone box is a cultural icon, one of the few pieces of street furniture we got right in the 20th century. This one provides a vital service in a village with poor mobile signal, especially as there is a defibrillator only a few metres away."

At first BT said it couldn't be done, as they never replace the K6s as they are too expensive to maintain.

But after a final attempt they have relented.

Mr Stuart said: "I made one last intervention with senior BT managers, and the parish council and I are delighted with BT’s response."

A spokeswoman for BT said: "Due to accessibility issues and maintenance costs we do not replace damaged red kiosks with like for like.

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"However, in this instance the passion shown by local people to keep their red phone box in the heart of their community meant an exception had to made. We were delighted to give them the news that a refurbished red kiosk will be reinstated in due course and hope to join them for the grand re-opening."

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