AN AYR shopper is demanding action after using a BT phone box on the High Street, which had a strong smell of urine.

Andrew Conway had to use the public phone box outside the Lorne Arcade earlier this month when he became aware of the problem.
He contacted BT to ask them to address the situation.

Mr Conway said: “ I was unfortunate enough to have to use a BT phone box on Ayr Hight Street. 

“The waft of strong urine, cooking oil, tobacco and body odour stayed with me all day till I got home and showered. 

“It was only after using the facility I became aware of how much of an eyesore these once iconic boxes have become. 

“I am keen to bring this issue to the attention of both the council and to the public.”
Following his complaint the payphones were cleaned on Friday, January 5. 

BT have confirmed the situation was addressed but if the problem continued they will revisit Ayr High Street to find a permanent solution. 

A BT spokesman said: “Following a report that the payphones on Ayr High Street were dirty, we gave them a full clean on January 5. 

“We regularly visit our payphones to clean and maintain them. The BT Payphone team can be contacted on 0800 661610.”

There are two phone boxes which sit on Ayr High Street outside Shelter and next to the Lorne Arcade which have been vandalised and the glass broken.

BT have an ‘Adopt’ policy where the phone box is part of the character of many streets and villages. 

As a result of mobile phones, many are no longer used and BT could be looking to remove them.

For just £1 members of the community can continue to use the red phone box and give it a new lease of life as something completely different. Some ideas have included a book exchange point, a defibrillator station, or an art gallery.

There are also ways to combine a BT phone box with an ATM. Following, permission from the council, a kiosk and ATM would be provided.

For more information visit https://business.bt.com/products/voice/payphone-services/