COUNCILLORS in East Cleveland look set to win a battle to keep a phone box in a remote village.

Members of Loftus Town Council kicked up a fuss when a payphone was removed from Liverton village.

BT said the kiosk had to be taken out because of building work on the nearby village hall.

But the company said because the phone was not well-used it might be withdrawn permanently.

Loftus members for Redcar and Cleveland council Couns David Walsh and Eric Jackson wrote to BT in protest. They branded BT's position as "simply the language of accountancy" which failed to take account of the needs of villagers and passing motorists.

The town council then discussed the situation and agreed to ask BT to restore the payphone to a suitable site.

A BT spokesman said this week the town council had been asked for its views on the phone, but that no reply had been received. "We are waiting to hear from the council and we won't do anything until then," said the spokesman.

"But we would consider restoring the phone, even though it is not very well-used and there are other payphones in the area."

Coun Walsh said: "This village may be off the beaten track, but it is still on a busy road and I can see that motorists might well need to use the payphone in the event of an accident or a breakdown.

"Not all drivers have mobile phones and in any case not all mobile phones can get a signal in this particular area."

"The ability to use a payphone is a vital part of day-to-day life in any community," said Coun Jackson, "and it is particularly important for elderly people who may not have a phone at home.

"Taking this facility away would just isolate such people from the outside world."