PHONEBOXES in Newport could be removed as part of a UK wide review by telecommunications company BT.

The company said it believed the phones, in Neath Port Talbot and Newport, were no longer needed — but it needs local authority consent to remove them.

In a letter addressed to Newport City Council, BT have proposed the removal of 23 payphones subject to consent from the council.

A BT spokesman said: “Any removal of payphones is carried out in strict adherence to the Ofcom guidelines and, where appropriate, with the consent of local authorities.

“BT is committed to providing a public payphone service but with usage declining by over 90 per cent in the last decade, we’ve continued to review and remove payphones which are no longer needed.”

The company added that in all instances where there’s no other payphone within 400 metres, BT will ask for consent from the local authority to remove the payphone.

This includes a commitment that when BT receives objections from the local authority, they won’t remove the payphone.

The spokesman added: “As an alternative to removal, we will continue to actively promote the 'Adopt a Kiosk' scheme to all councils whilst being committed to maintaining the payphones that remain.”

The 'Adopt a Kiosk' programme is an initiative launched by BT where councils and registered charities can apply to take ownership of the telephone box(es) for just one pound to help "protect the heritage of the community".

As part of the scheme, BT will remove the telephone equipment before transferring ownership to the local council who will be responsible for ongoing maintenance and upkeep.

BT also wrote to Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council council, requesting the removal of 53 phone boxes.

Newport City Council were contacted for comment but were unable to respond at the time of publication.