EFFORTS will be made to save four public phone boxes out of eight in Barnoldswick and Earby earmarked for the scrapheap.

British Telecom is seeking to remove four phone boxes in Barnoldswick and four in Earby as part of nationwide cutbacks.

Use of phone boxes has fallen due to the growing popularity of mobile phones and BT is seeking to scrap those that get limited use.

In Barnoldswick, the phone boxes listed for removal are at Walmsgate, next to the memorial gardens on Kelbrook Road, at the junction of Valley Road and Long Ing Lane, and outside the library on Fernlea Avenue.

In Earby, the phone boxes under threat are at the bus station in Victoria Road, next to Keb Bridge in Red Lion Street, at the junction of New Road and Green End Road, and at the junction of Warwick Drive and Salterforth Road on the Northolme estate.

Notices have been displayed in the boxes listed for removal, and the list was also sent to Pendle Council's West Craven committee for its consideration.

Earby's Tim Haigh warned members against agreeing to remove all the phone boxes on the list.

"I understand that BT has spun off its public call boxes to a division that must pay its own way and not be subsidised by the rest of the business," said Mr Haigh.

"I can accept the case for a reduction in the network of public call boxes and yes, one in Earby is just a few paces from another, but the boxes at New Road and Salterforth Road both serve outlying residential areas. They can be a lifeline and shouldn't be lightly swept away."

Coun Mary Norcross said many older people could not use mobile phones. She recalled an incident in Barnoldswick where a man was stabbed and a bystander sprinted to a public phone box to call the emergency services.

"Even if it's only one accident, to save a life it's vital to keep them," she said.

Earby councillor Morris Horsfield said residents around Keb Bridge wanted to keep the old red phone box even if the phone inside was removed.

"It's a rare old box and often photographed," he said.

Coun David Whipp said he could see the case for removing the phone box on Barnoldswick's Fernlea Avenue as it was only a short walk from other phone boxes. However, there were others on the list that served outlying areas and should be retained.

He also wanted to keep the old red box at Walmsgate largely for its aesthetic value.

Coun Whipp successfully proposed a letter to BT asking for four phone boxes to be retained. They were at Walmsgate and Valley Road in Barnoldswick and at Keb Bridge and Northolme in Earby. The letter would also repeat an earlier request for a meeting to discuss the issue, including ways in which the council might help BT to minimise the cost of retaining phone boxes.