CONCERNS have been raised over the future of a County Durham forest’s only public phone box after plans to remove it were revealed.

BT is currently holding a consultation on the payphone in Hamsterley Forest, near Bishop Auckland, which they say is used very little.

Depending on the outcome, the phone box could be removed this Autumn but members of the public have expressed their concern over the plans, saying the mobile phone reception is so poor that the box is often a lifeline for everyone from walkers to mountain bikers.

However, others, including the Forestry Commission agree that the box is rarely used particularly after a push button 999 phone was installed three years ago.

Commenting on the Hamsterley Forest Facebook page, Stephen Booth said: “I tend not to visit anymore since mobile signal is so bad. It's better to ride or walk in places with signal for safety."

Christopher Hogg added: “Surely it serves a vital purpose re: safety, and should therefore be beyond having to make money?!”

Durham County Councillor George Richardson, who lives in Hamsterley, agreed with the concerns.

“You cannot get a mobile phone signal hardly at all and with this bike trail particularly on the descent, there are regularly ambulances up there and the air ambulance called out on a number of occasions,” he said.

“It would be disappointing on that score to have it lost although I totally understand where they are coming from; it is probably not well used but it is a safety device and I would just say if it could be retained it needs to be.”

Alex MacLennan, the Forestry Commission’s recreation and publicity resources manager for the North-East, said that the main issue for forest users was the lack of mobile phone signal.

“The biggest issue at Hamsterley Forest and a number of other sites is the lack of mobile phone reception so that’s the real issue,” he said.

“We are not clear how well used the public phone is but we think it’s low use.”

A BT spokesman said: “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.

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

The spokesman said the payphone would not be removed if there were no others within 400 metres or if it received objections from the local authority.

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

The consultation, which began on August 9, will last 90 days and all comments should be made to Durham County Council.