Public call boxes will soon be a rarer sight on the streets of Oxfordshire, under a cost-cutting cull planned by BT bosses.

They are pulling the plug on scores of payphones as part of a nationwide campaign to make the service more profitable, blaming the increasing use of mobile phones in recent years.

Around the county 100 are scheduled to disappear, but many will get a stay of execution following objections from the public and councillors.

Almost 10 per cent of the county's pay phones will go over the next 12 months.

Most are free-standing single phones, with the remainder in pairs or blocks of three or four.

Rick Thompson, of BT's Payphones division, said the phones earmarked for closure were under-used and lost money.

He stressed the company was committed to maintaining a public payphone network, and would not leave any community without a service, regardless of profitability.

He said: "Increased mobile phone use has had a significant impact on payphone useage -- public demand has declined by more than 50 per cent in the last three years." BT Payphones operate without subsidy from other parts of the company's operations and have to pay for themselves.

Payphones' director, Paul Hendron, said: "BT is committed to maintaining the service to all communities and has no intention of removing it from remote locations.

"There are too many phone boxes in some areas to meet the needs of customers, but unprofitable kiosks will only be removed if there is an alternative payphone nearby."

Figures show 76 per cent of people over 14 own a mobile phone. Of those, 48 per cent cent are of pensionable age.

Just one per cent of homes do not have access to a fixed line or mobile phone.

BT's review of street phone boxes was announced almost two years ago and began in February last year.

The company will liaise with local authorities over affected phones in their area.

In addition, it has placed notices in the designated kiosks, with a phone number, e-mail and postal address to enable customers or members of the public to get in touch with them to discuss the reviews.

The 'open door' approach was welcomed by the telecommunications watchdog, Oftel.

A spokesman said: "BT has certain obligations on the amount of phones they remove, and there are certain procedures they have to go through, such as providing a valid reason why, conferring with us and putting up public notices.

"From our point of view, as long as they are abiding by this code of practice, then we are happy."