Already, 21 pay phones, including two traditional red kiosks, have been earmarked for removal in the Fenland area. Other local authorities, including Peterborough City Council, are expected to unveil similar numbers in the summer.

BT wants to be able to remove redundant phone boxes, which cost £1,000 a year in upkeep.

Some are used just once a month, while others are a magnet for vandals, with coin boxes ripped out and glass panes smashed.

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Three pay phones in Whittlesey, in Ladysmith Avenue, Whittlesey Road and Hallcroft Road, will be removed, as will ones in the nearby villages of Coates, Eastrea and Pondersbridge.

Whittlesey Town Mayor, Cllr Pam Potts, said it was another blow for rural areas.

Cllr Potts said: "It is a real shame that villages will lose their pay phones. They can be a lifeline for some people, especially the elderly.

"Personally, I would like to see them remain, but with the rise in modern technology we have to be realistic about it. If they are not being used then they may have to go.

"The one near my house in Coates was vandalised not so long ago. The coin box had been ripped out. This is not what we want to see, so if it is removed it may deter vandals."

BT confirmed that it was in the process of writing to Cambridgeshire, South Cambridgeshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough District Councils, with proposals for phone box closures.

BT spokesman Paul Hayward said: "BT is committed to providing a public payphone service. However, over the years, as usage has declined, BT has been constantly reviewing and, where necessary, rationalising its public payphone estate in order to meet demand.

"This is nothing new, and we will continue to do so."

The company stated that 60 per cent of all pay phones are unprofitable, with almost 6,000 phones making less than one call a month.

Mr Hayward added: "Payphone usage has halved in the last two years, and calls are still declining at 20 per cent year on year.

"Any removal of unprofitable pay phones is carried out in strict adherence to the Ofcom guidelines and, where appropriate, with the consent of the local communities.

"We will be removing other kiosks where we do not need to consult, as this is simply a question of thinning the estate where there are kiosks close together.

"In all instances where there is not another pay phone within 400 metres we need the local authority's consent to remove the kiosk, and if there is a clear social need for those phones then they won't be removed."

Next page: see the list of Boxes to go: