The iconic red telephone box at Nailsea High Street is threatened with disconnection as no-one is using it to make calls.

Red telephone boxes have been a feature of our streetscapes since 1926 and there has been one in the High Street for at least 60 years although not always outside the supermarket nearest the village green.

British Telecom have informed the council that its future is under consideration, but no decision has been made yet.

Nailsea Town Council chairman Jan Barber doesn’t know whether anyone feels strongly enough to fight to save it.

She said: “There was discussion about the telephone box and a suggestion we should fill it with flowers as they have done all over Bath. 

“This can look very effective but maybe it would be subject to vandalism and high maintenance. 

“One councillor thought we could install a defibrillator but there already is one on the High Street.

"I think they meant the one outside the Tithe Barn which the town council have certainly offered to take over - this happened some time ago, but as no progress has been made it is still active as a phone box.”

Nationwide old BT phone boxes are being sold off and converted into miniature libraries, museums, ice-cream parlours and even coffee stalls.

In the 1980s there were more than 70,000 but in the past decade this has dropped to 5,023.

There are less than 1,000 red telephone boxes left in the south west.

The death knell to the red telephone box coincided with the widespread use of personal mobile phones. 

Under the £1 BT Adopt A Kiosk scheme, communities can retain a red kiosk providing certain criteria is meet.

The scheme has been successful in transforming unused payphone kiosks and preserves the heritage of the red kiosk, particularly in rural locations.

In Devon the world’s smallest mini disco was created from an old red phone box while in Cheltenham 10 old phone boxes were transformed into mini art galleries.

In Cheshire an old phone box was transformed into a Book Swap scheme allowing local residents the chance to take and deposit books.

There are several ‘types’ from the K1 Grade II concrete design to the K6 introduced in 1935 mostly painted in ‘currant red’.

Then came the K7 which went no further than the prototype stage. 

K8 was introduced in 1968 which came in a slightly darker pillar box red.

UPDATE: Nailsea Town Council is going to try to buy the High Street red telephone box and once the transaction has been completed will decided what to do with it.

Mrs Barber added this week: "Judging by the one outside the Tithe Barn this could take some considerable time."