There is a telephone box in Preston that has caused much raised eyebrows. Placed at the corner of East View and Meadow Street in Deepdale, it could still be called often enough by lots of people to make calls in, but otherwise, it is a bad influence that is highly misused. This cabin has become notorious for people carrying on illegal acts like drug-taking and inappropriate conduct. Still, the company that operates the phone box, BT Group, insists it can’t move the thing. Why? Because enough people are still using it for its intended purpose—making calls.

A Troubled Phone Box
This telephone booth has been causing distress among the local community. Parents are afraid that their children might cross the path to school or that of a nearby community center. Apparently, people were doing things much worse than what was done in that telephone booth, as reported by local sources. Residents have been complaining over and above drugs, sexual acts, and even using it as an open toilet.

Imagine passing by a phone booth with such activities happening just yards from a nursery school. It’s bad news for the people of Preston, especially the residents around there. They have been shouting for this phone box to be removed or relocated.

However, BT says it cannot do anything about it. According to rules of Ofcom, a dial phone box, which is often used, can never be moved. Too many people, says BT, use the phone box to make calls, so they can’t just take it away.

The Battle to Move the Phone Box
Suleman Sarwar, councillor for St Matthew’s Ward, is now leading the battle to either remove or move the phone box. He says this is something many of his residents have expressed a concern over, and that it really could fall to him to represent them in their place of residence.

“I have spoken to parents who are genuinely worried about their children walking past that booth,” said Councillor Sarwar. “He rightly feels that something needs to be done to protect the safety and well-being of the people living in the area, particularly the children.”.

It’s not concerned residents trying to get this phone box moved, however; Lancashire Police and Preston City Council have also applied to BT to remove or relocate the booth. Still, BT says no to the removal of the booth as it has too many calls coming from it.

Out of Sight
One of the reasons why this phone booth is such a hub of illegal activity is because it’s an easy place to hide. The advertisement partly covers one side of the booth and obscures a person’s view inside. Next to the phone booth is a hedge that blocks anyone passing by from seeing what goes on inside.

This lack of visibility gives them a kind of privacy, even as they are sited within the public space. That privacy is what makes it such an attractive location for people looking to do something not exactly sanctioned by the government.

A Call to Action
Councillor Sarwar hasn’t given up either. He has taken this further by starting a petition to try and force BT into action. He feels that the petition support may allow him to prompt BT to agree to either a move or removal of the offending phone box.

In fact, the Preston City Council has suggested relocation of the Kiosk to a street called Deepdale Road, which is closer and more likely to be seen as there is a CCTV camera nearby. Ideally, the council hopes that keeping the kiosk in an open and covered area may reduce such illegal activities.

Presence of Police and Enforcement
Although BT claims it cannot take the phone box away because it is still in use for the purpose for which it was placed there, the council doesn’t have to let BT off scot-free. The council has stated that, in fact, it may use its enforcement powers to help curb anti-social behaviour that is either taking place within and around the phone box or is being organised or facilitated from it. This might imply fines or other sanctions against people caught carrying out activity there that they should not do.

Nonetheless, BT thinks the payphone is still a useful asset for the public. According to a BT official, “The payphone gets a high number of calls originated from it and, under guidance issued by Ofcom, we have a duty to provide public call boxes to meet the reasonable requirements of the public.”.

BT has also requested the locals to report any illegal activity observed in the telephone booth to the police. They are trying their best to cooperate with the police but are under the obligation of the rules created by Ofcom that restrict the removal of in-use telephone booths from that place.

What’s Next for Preston’s Problem Phone Booth
The fight is by no means won. However, signatures are still being collected on the petition to relocate or remove the phone box, and Councillor Sarwar appears intent on protecting his community. The more that protest, perhaps the more pressure it will bring to bear on BT.

But for now, the phone box will remain in place, even with all its notoriety as a focal point for crime. People continue to make calls from it, and BT is unable to be pulled into actual action against the telephone.

A Larger Issue
This raises another question: how to balance communities’ need for public services like telephone booths with their need to protect residents from anti-social behavior? Someone surely needs these phone boxes to make calls but is creating fear and discomfort in the minds of others.

Well, for now, the people of Preston will wait with bated breath as to what next will be. Will the petition succeed? Will BT think twice over this? Time will tell, but undoubtedly, Deepdale folks will never give up on the safety and well-being of their community.