Locals line up to use red K6 phone box in Sharrington, Norfolk (Image: SWNS)
Villagers fighting to save their last working red phone box after BT said it was only used nine times last year are queuing up to use. Locals in Sharrington, Norfolk, are determined to save the iconic red K6 after BT said they want to disconnect the box.
Villager Derek Harris, 89, mounted a campaign against the telecommunications giant and has encouraged dozens of locals to queue up at the phone box to make calls from it. On Friday around 30 residents queued to make calls from the beloved phone box.
Derek, who has lived in the village for 50 years, said: “It is now the most famous K6 in the world. We are witnessing history. It is a tremendous turnout, some of these people have walked all the way from Thornage.”
He added that last week, an ambulance driver used the box as they were unable to get a signal in the village. Fellow queuer Annie Douglas said having the phone box is “important in a medical emergencies” because there isn’t always good signal in the area.
She said: “I am from Sharrington and am here to support Derek. It is important in a medical emergency. We do not always have a good signal.”
Locals in Sharrington, Norfolk, are determined to save the iconic red K6 (Image: SWNS)
Hannah Burley, 85, says she regularly travels through the area and “feels vulnerable” so likes having the phone box. She said: “I don’t live here but I come through regularly in the car and I feel vulnerable at my age at night.
“I get confused with the digital stuff like what three words. It is about taking note of older people. It’s another thing that is being cleared before we have gone.”
Local Annie Abrams says the phone box is a “lifeline” for many people in the village, who are “unable” to use mobiles. She said: “It is a lifeline for us. There is a lot of us that are unable to use mobile phones in the village, they often need passcodes and facial recognition and if you forget that then you are stuck.”
North Norfolk MP Steffan Aquarone also took part in the queue and said it was vital for emergencies as digital connectivity is not quite there in some more isolated rural areas. The red K6 phone box was once one of the most recognisable features of Britain and it was designed in 1935 to commemorate George V’s Silver Jubilee and was sometimes known as the Jubilee kiosk.
In 1935 there were 19,000 public telephones in the UK. By 1940, thanks to the K6, there were 35,000. By 1960, there were 64,000.
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Villager Derek Harris, 89, mounted a campaign against BT (Image: SWNS)
A BT spokesperson said: “BT identified ten payphones in north Norfolk that are no longer needed – including the one in Sharrington. We assessed these using the criteria in Ofcom’s Review of the telephony universal service obligation.
“There are a range of things that are considered – such as kiosk location, usage, availability of other payphones nearby, mobile signal nearby etc. The consultation letter was sent to North Norfolk District Council on 21 November 2024, with the consultation period lasting the usual 90 days – meaning the council could make representations until 19 February 2025.
“To make sure that the local community are fully informed, we placed notices (including the posting date) on these payphones. There is outdoor mobile voice coverage (based on Ofcom mobile checker) outside the payphone locations from all four mobile providers.
“Thanks to ‘999 roaming’, in an emergency, anyone with a mobile phone can make a 999 call if there’s at least one mobile network present, regardless of which operator that is.”