PHONE bosses say 28 payphones previously planned for closure could now be saved.

However, concerns have been raised that the phoneboxes in the Harrogate district will become cashless.

BT is considering converting the phones to card-only machines to save money.

But North Yorkshire's county councillor for Masham, Paul Richardson, said: "I am afraid there are too many assumptions in life these days.

"There is an assumption that everyone has a computer, everyone has a mobile phone, a car and cards to operate the phones.

"But that is not so and in cases of emergency, these phone boxes provide a vital lifeline."

He said mobile phone coverage was poor near the phone boxes at Ilton-cum-Pott and Gollinglith Foot, Healey, in his ward. Although he accepted the boxes ran at a loss, he said that must be balanced against the large profits made nationwide.

He said: "Breaking down in a car in that area during darkness could also present a problem even if you had a mobile phone. You would have find you way in the dark to a farmhouse and ask for help.

"And that could be quite scary for some people."

Parish councils have offered to keep the phone boxes clean to save BT sending out a regular cleaner.

British Telecom said some boxes in rural North Yorkshire were used very little.

In some cases, the only time they had been used to make calls was when an engineer arrived to test the line.

A spokesman said it cost £1,900 a year to maintain a kiosk, with £145 a year being spent on providing a line to the telephone.