THEY were once a common sight across hundreds of towns and villages in Hampshire.

The traditional red phone box is as English as fish and chips and Morris Minor cars.

Now, campaigners are battling to save the only public telephone kiosk in a remote New Forest village.

BT is set to axe the call box in Fritham - one of the areas in the Forest where mobile phones often fail to work.

The kiosk is due to be taken away under plans to scrap two of the three phone boxes in the parish of Bramshaw.

BT is also planning to remove the kiosk at Furzley Cross, which will leave only the call box outside Bramshaw Post Office and Stores.

The proposal sparked a storm of protest at Bramshaw's annual assembly, held at Fritham Free Church.

Objectors said the shortage of masts in the area meant that people were often unable to use their mobile phones in the village.

Fritham resident Charmian Dominy said: "Mobile phone signals are either very weak or non-existent.

"Some of my visitors ring me from the call box if they need directions."

Joan Pressey, chairman of Bramshaw Parish Council, raised the issue after receiving a BT letter outlining plans to axe almost all the local kiosks.

The letter says only 29,000 of the 75,000 roadside phone boxes in Britain are profitable.

It adds: "The increase in mobile phone ownership has led to a complete culture change in communication - the number of calls made from BT payphones has almost halved in the last three years and revenue has dropped by 41 per cent.

"Ninety-nine per cent of UK homes now have a phone and 85 per cent have a mobile phone.

"The decline in the use of payphones means the overall level of provision in the Bramshaw district exceeds customer need and, as a result, we plan to remove two payphones in the area."

The letter says BT will carry out a 42-day consultation period before removing any of the kiosks.

A company spokesman said the Fritham kiosk would not be taken away if campaigners came up with a good reason for keeping it.