A former cabinet minister has slammed proposals to remove phone boxes from some of Wear Valley's remotest villages.

British Telecom (BT) announced ten payphones in the district will be removed unless authorities can demonstrate a clear social need.

Kiosks in Tow Law, Thornley, St John's Chapel, Oakenshaw, Howden-le-Wear, Witton-le-Wear, Frosterley and West Auckland are among the many earmarked for removal.

MP for North-West Durham Hilary Armstrong has written to the telecommunications giant: "I am really concerned that these villages will be without phone boxes, especially when mobile signals are unavailable in many areas, which could lead to delays in someone reporting an emergency call.

"I am certain that many people living in these villages will feel isolated and very vulnerable if the kiosks are removed; especially some of the elderly who do not have telephone connections in their homes."

BT said that phone box usage has halved nationally in the last two years and that calls out are still declining at a rate of 20 per cent.

Amy Walker, media relations manager for BT, said: "We are committed to meeting our obligation to provide a public payphone service, but the demand there once was just isn't there any more.

"Where we no longer believe a kiosk is needed then we seek to remove it. "This has been the case for a number of years because of the continuing decline in payphone usage."

BT is obliged to consult with the public on the removal of payphones where there is no other facility within four hundred metres.

Ms Walker said: "BT cannot remove any of these phones without local authority consent to do so however the authority will need to show that there is a clear social need to retain the kiosk."

Those who wish to be involved in the consultation process should contact the Wear Valley District Council planning department at Civic Centre, North Terrace, Crook, County Durham, DL15 9ES.

The council will forward concerns to British Telecom.