Payphones across Arran could be removed or transformed for other purposes following a consultation.

BT has engaged North Ayrshire Council in discussions regarding the fate of 26 phone booths across the region.

Councillor Timothy Billings said: “BT has notified NAC that it would like to remove most of the phone boxes around Arran, which BT have identified as being no longer required given the low numbers of calls made over the preceding 12-month period.”

According to call figures, three booths recorded no usage over the last 12 months.

A BT spokesperson said: “Most people now have a mobile phone and calls made from our public telephones have fallen by around 90 per cent in the past decade. We consider a number of factors before consulting on the removal of payphones.

“We are consulting with North Ayrshire Council on the removal of 21 payphones on Arran, providing the community with the chance to comment on our proposals. If the council tell us they want a payphone to remain, we will keep it.

“As part of the consultation, we are also offering communities the chance to adopt phone boxes for just £1 through our Adopt a Kiosk scheme. Adopted kiosks could house heart defibrillators. For more details visit bt.com/adopt”

“The need to provide payphones for use in emergencies is also diminishing as 98 per cent of the UK has either 3G or 4G coverage. As long as there’s network coverage from at least one network, it’s possible to call 999, even when there’s no credit or no coverage from your own mobile provider.”

Commenting on the consultation plans, Stuart Robinson said: “It doesn’t help that most of them don’t work. Last time I needed a phone box I tried three different ones and none of them worked.”