BT has announced it is to consult on the closure of 104 of the 161 public payphones in the Scottish Borders due to a fall in usage.
These include a number of phone boxes in more remote areas such as the Ettrick and Yarrow valleys and Liddesdale.
Any removal of payphones must be consulted on and if Scottish Borders Council objects, the decision can be blocked.
Local MSP John Lamont has said that while phone box usage has inevitably fallen, they provide an invaluable and sometimes lifesaving service in rural communities where mobile phone signal is patchy. He has been contacted by a number of constituents objecting to the plans.
Local MSP John Lamont said: “I am highly concerned by plans to close nearly two thirds of Borders phone boxes and have been contacted by a number of worried constituents.
“These phone boxes provide a lifeline for many rural communities, both for visitors and the people who live there. While their usage has inevitably fallen it remains vital to many local communities to continue to have access to a phone box where mobile phone reception is patchy or non-existent, and for those who choose not to have a landline.
“In an emergency, the closure of these payphones could cause real problems.”
John added: “The key to keeping them lies with Scottish Borders Council’s reaction to these plans. Anyone who shares my concern must send the council the clear message that our phone boxes are important and should be safeguarded.”