CALL boxes in Lancaster and Morecambe are to get the chop because of the boom in mobile phones.

BT has provisionally earmarked 26 kiosks across the district for closure - but assured residents that it will continue to provide a comprehensive' service.

Paul Hendron, director of BT payphones, says:"We will make the changes sensitively through extensive consultation."

He says the company intends to protect the payphone but has to strike a balance between commercial pressures and retaining loss-making services.

BT say growth in mobiles has led to payphone use being halved in the past three years. It says 133 out of 159 boxes in Lancaster are running at a loss.

The closures come as part of a nationwide review of phone boxes, which started in 2002.