Local councillors are hung-up over plans to remove two public payphones from Tenby.

Correspondence that came before members of Tenby town council at their meeting on Tuesday night from Pembrokeshie County Council revealed that BT are currently consulting on the proposed removal of some 45 payphones across the county, with two identified in Tenby - one at the junction of Marsh Road/Knowling Mead; and the second at Heywood Lane.

BT have stated that overall use of payphones has declined by over 90 per cent in the last decade, with the need to provide the facilities for use in emergency situations diminishing all the time, with at least 98 per cent of the UK having either 3G or 4G coverage, with it now possible to call emergency services even when there is no credit or coverage from a particular user’s mobile network provider.

BT also revealed that the payphone on Marsh Road/Knowling Mead has only been used seven times in 12 months up until July of this year; and the one on Heywood Lane 16 times over the same period.

Clr. Trevor Hallet said that he felt the facilities needed to be kept for the town.

“The problem is that they are always there in case of an emergency, and some elderly people don’t rely on having a mobile phone and not everyone still has a mobile. I know BT want to cut costs, but once these payphones are gone, then they’re gone,” he commented.

Clr. Mrs. Sue Lane said that it was ‘vital’ that the payphones were kept, especially on Heywood Lane where there were three schools in the vicinity.

“If a child comes out of school and needs to call for a lift home, then the payphone is always there. The same with the one on Marsh Road and Knowling Mead, which is close to the leisure centre,” she added.

Clr. Paul Rapi agreed, concurring that the facilities were somewhat essential outside the schools.

“We had this same debate a few years ago. The children need some sort of back-up, especially if they’ve ben out for the day on a trip and their mobile phone batteries have run down.

“There is always the peace of mind that the payphones are there incase of an emergency, and should remain on the grounds of safety. Maybe the schools should be consulted on this,” he added.

Clr. Mrs. Sam Skyrme-Blackhall added that at the height of the holiday season when the population increased in Tenby, it was much more difficult to get a mobile phone signal in the town with some network providers.