Public payphones are set to be removed in Greenock

Bosses at BT are planning to take away the payphones which are situated at Dunlop Street outside the Coral bookmakers and in Drumfrochar Road at the corner of Ann Street, pictured.

They are launching a public consultation to see if there is any substantial opposition to the idea, triggered by a huge decline in the number of calls made from the boxes.

When the two payphones are removed, there will be just 26 phone boxes across the area.

A BT spokesperson said: "Most people now have a mobile phone and calls made from our public telephones have fallen by around 90 per cent in the past decade.

"We consider a number of factors before consulting on the removal of payphones, including whether others are available nearby and usage.

"In Inverclyde, we are consulting on the removal of two payphones."

The move is part of a wider plan by BT to remove 650 phone boxes around the country - about 20 per cent of the national total.

A previous programme saw about 1,500 closed - with hundreds of them "adopted" by their local community for a variety of uses.

The spokesperson added: "The need to provide payphones for use in emergency situations is also diminishing all the time, with at least 98 per cent of the UK having either 3G or 4G coverage.

"This is important because as long as there is network coverage, it’s now possible to call the emergency services, even when there is no credit or no coverage from your own mobile provider."

Consultation on the plans will be carried out by the council - as required by regulator Ofcom.