Some, like the one at Three Cups Corner, contain defibrillators. Others, as in Vines Cross, have become miniature libraries. But what makes the Red Phone Box at Warbleton a rarity is that the local community have been working to keep it fully operational as – guess what – a phone box. Remarkable. As Pat Buesnel told us:
“Some of us who live in Warbleton had become concerned about the state of the phone box, particularly following storms over the last year when the services were disrupted on a number of occasions plus we are in a very poor area for mobile signals. The phone box increasingly lost working ‘number buttons’ with calls becoming impossible to make.
We were spurred on following an article in the Guardian (see link below and key paragraph) setting out BT’s obligations to keep phone boxes operational. A number of us then lodged formal complaints with BT resulting in repairs over the summer/autumn to bring the box back into working order.
Whilst it’s been a slow old process BT have been helpful and followed up on everything we asked of them. We now make sure we make regular calls from the box to keep the numbers up.”
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/apr/28/last-phone-boxes-bt-payphones-uk
We were spurred on following an article in the Guardian (see link below and key paragraph) setting out BT’s obligations to keep phone boxes operational. A number of us then lodged formal complaints with BT resulting in repairs over the summer/autumn to bring the box back into working order.
Whilst it’s been a slow old process BT have been helpful and followed up on everything we asked of them. We now make sure we make regular calls from the box to keep the numbers up.”
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/apr/28/last-phone-boxes-bt-payphones-uk
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Editor’s note: We understand that, since this story came in, a few technical issues have cropped up. But with luck the service will soon be fully operational once more. Well done residents of Warbleton. We will keep this story updated.
Editor’s note: We understand that, since this story came in, a few technical issues have cropped up. But with luck the service will soon be fully operational once more. Well done residents of Warbleton. We will keep this story updated.
All photos by Brendan Buesnel, with many thanks from the Village Leaf.
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