THE axe continues to hover over nine unprofitable public telephone boxes in Kendal as British Telecom seeks to resolve the concerns of town councillors who are stepping up the fight to safeguard their future.

Kendal Town Council resolved to write to independent telecom-munications watchdog Oftel, Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Collins and the Cumbria Association of Local Councils about BT's continued push to axe nine of the 33 boxes in the town.

The telecommunications company has been consulting the council, along with other local groups, for around two years on the removal of boxes. Kiosks at Mintsfeet Road; the junction of Parkside Road and Lound Road; the junction of Dockray Hall Road and Burneside Road; Bellingham Road; the junction of Brigsteer Road and Greenside; Crescent Green; and Romney Gardens could still be saved if BT fails to resolve the objections.

However, the future of a telephone box at Peppercorn Lane which has been persistently targeted by vandals and another at the junction of New Road and Blackhall Road looks bleak, as there are alternative telephones within 100 metres, meeting criteria to justify their removal.

But councillors rallied to save the boxes, arguing that they provided an essential service to residents, in particular elderly people, who did not use mobile phones.Use of mobiles was a major reason put forward by BT for their removal.

Coun Tony Rothwell said: "It's a large company which should be providing a public service. I don't think they will take a blind bit of notice of what we have to say anyway."

In a letter to the council, BT described unprofitable phones as a "drain on resources." It says only six per cent of calls from phone boxes are made by elderly people.