A victory has been scored for elderly and vulnerable people in Leigh with the cancellation of the planned removal of a BT payphone.

The phone's removal has been held up for at least a year after a last-gasp intervention by the town's council.

BT announced plans to remove the public phone from Manchester Drive, Leigh, last month.

It claimed demand for public telephones had declined by more than 50 per cent in the last three years.

Geoff Fulford, town clerk at Leigh Town Council, immediately wrote to BT, outlining the council's concerns over the plans.

He said: "We are concerned about the loss of payphones for those in the community who are most vulnerable and who may need payphones for emergency purposes more than others."

Mr Fulford said: "We have received a letter back from BT and they have agreed to cancel the proposed removal of the phone for the next 12 months."

Published Thursday March 4, 2004

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