David makes 999 call to save kiosks

DAVID MAKIN in the Dobcross kiosk

A CONSERVATIONIST claims lives could be put in danger if the red telephone boxes are removed from Saddleworth villages.

David Makin, chairman of Saddleworth Civic Trust, said: “These boxes are a lifeline. Not everyone has a mobile or even a home phone.

“In an age of rapidly rising prices, pensioners may find it difficult to meet phone bills. And the change to card-only phones also exacerbates the problem of easy communication.”

“The red phone boxes have a place in the fabric of old Saddleworth villages. They are part of our rural environment.

“I believe they should be retained and maintained, and not just because of conservation areas.”

Mr Makin said the kiosks at Dobcross New Road, Dobcross; Delph Bridge-Huddersfield Road, Delph; the Clarence Inn, Chew Valley Road, Greenfield; and Sam Road, Diggle should be retained.

Mike Rooke, secretary of Greenfield and Grasscroft Residents’ Association, said: “The red phone box at the Clarence is the nearest point for walkers or climbers in an emergency in the winter.”

The phone box at Diggle is on the Diggle Community Association executive agenda for discussion later this month.

Secretary Royce Franklin said: “We shall be taking into account BT’s survey of the usage of the boxes which indicates that only 0.4 per cent of households in Saddleworth North ward did not have either a mobile or static telephone.

“The Sam Road, Diggle, payphone is in a very poor state with broken windows and constantly in need of a clean-up.

“As time marches on it is almost inevitable that we lose the facilities which in a bygone era served us so well.”

l The red phone box was designed by architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1924, although the best-known version was produced to coincide with the silver jubilee of King George V in 1935. Sir Giles also designed Liverpool’s Anglican cathedral.