'Horrible' phone boxes still standing two years after BT pledged to remove them

Perth and Kinross Council has been working with BT for a year to remove two defunct phone boxes on Perth’s High Street, which are being used for drug-taking.

Council bosses are on a mission to clean up the city centre and make it a more attractive place to visit.

BT pledged to remove the eyesores over two and a half years ago in January 2024, and Perth City Centre’s manager believes it is “paramount we get these shifted as soon as possible”.

In a video shared by Perth and Kinross Council, council leader Eric Drysdale met with Perth City Centre manager Emily Queen to discuss antisocial behaviour issues on Perth High Street.

Gathered outside the job centre and stood next to the two “horrible” phone boxes, Emily told Cllr Drysdale and councillors Michelle Frampton and Carol Mair, who were with him: “BT have notified, on all the boxes, that these will be removed in January 2024, but sadly they are still on the High Street.

“They are in a massive state of disrepair, as you can see, and need to be removed.

“I’ve had dialogue with them for a year now just to get them moved, and we’ve explained that we have got plans for our asset that these are sitting on.”

PKC is keen to move advertising pillars – currently outside the St Johnstone FC shop – to this part of the High Street, alongside a bench and a bit of greenery.

She told the councillors: “Right now, the only thing standing in the way is these horrible phone boxes.

“Unfortunately, they are used to mask antisocial behaviour going on inside. They don’t smell nice, and there are cigarette ends on the ground; there is sometimes some drug paraphernalia found inside them. So it really is paramount that we get these shifted as soon as possible.

“And we can work with BT to make sure that happens within the next couple of months.”

BT has this week confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the phone boxes “are still planned for removal”.

A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council said: “We are working with BT to get them removed.”

The BT spokeperson added: “We are reviewing when this will be completed by; this is contingent on the availability/delivery of replacement material for those locations.”

BT has pledged to provide an update on progress and expected completion dates nearer the time.

The BT spokesperson added: “Local authorities interested in bringing Street Hubs to their area can contact streethub@bt.com to discuss opportunities.”

According to BT’s website, Street Hubs are “new ultra modern units offering free calls, a dedicated 999 button and the next generation of public WiFi, giving secure connectivity within 150 metres at breathtaking speeds of one gigabyte per second, as well as expanding phone network coverage with ultrafast 5G and built-in USB ports for free rapid device charging on the go”.

The slimline hubs – which are a quarter of the size of a phone box – also feature touch-screen tablets to allow councils to share information with the public and 75-inch screens for advertising.