BT ARE THINKING OUT OF THE BOX.

TELECOMS giants BT want a council to buy up their old red phone boxes - without the phones inside.

Argyll and Bute councillors have been fighting BT's plan to axe 48 of the traditional boxes.

Places such as Port Appin, Taynuilt, Dalmally, Skipness and Carradale would all lose their public call boxes.

Yesterday, councillor Robin Currie said: "BT are off their trolleys - what is the point of a phone box without a phone?

"We don't want to keep the phones there because we have a great love of the boxes.

"Maybe they aren't used for a lot of calls but, in places without good mobile reception, they could save lives."

But a BT spokesman said the adopt-a-box scheme was purely for the "iconic" red boxes and was in response to requests from communities throughout the UK.

He said that 254 of their 294 public phones in Argyll and Bute run at a loss but BT will retain any box if the council split the pounds 1000-a-year upkeep.

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