It was reported last week that BT has earmarked for closure 51 kiosks in Stratford district.

Now the Courier can reveal that a similar fate lies in store for 19 phone boxes in Warwick district - but that it is too late for residents to have their say on the matter.

One of the payphones on the list is in Village Street in Offchurch. Parish council chairman Dave Chrisford did not know about the public consultation period, which ran from April 16 to July 18.

He said: "We checked the phone box and a notice is posted up inside. I suppose it's symptomatic that neither us nor anyone else has noticed it as this means no-one has used it since April.

"I think it's a little sad the district council did not actually tell us. It's a case of attempting to close the stable door after the horse has bolted.

"It's very difficult to justify keeping it in hard commercial terms, but you cannot put a value on the visual impact - it's fitting with the old-fashioned view of Offchurch."

Old Milverton residents were also unaware of the consultation period concerning the possible removal of their payphone.

Parish council clerk Graham Cooper said: "We have not received any information, but we did express our view to BT a few years ago that we wished it to remain.

"I am surprised that we were not told. We want to keep it as it's a facility to local people who need it and to motorists who may not have their mobile phones with them. It ought to be available.

"There are still many old people who do not have a mobile. We would be disappointed if it was taken away."

Warwick District Council planning manager John Archer said: "We have been coordinating with responses from the parish councils and where the community has objected we have supported the objection."

The district council's planning committee is due to make a decision on the future of the 19 payphones in September.

The list of payphones earmarked for closure in Warwick district is as follows: Radford Road, Leamington; Whitnash Road, Whitnash; Old Milverton; Village Street, Offchurch; Gresham Avenue, Lillington; M40 Junction 14 access road, Warwick; Woodloes Avenue, Warwick; Wellesbourne Road, Barford; Wasperton; Eathorpe; Pinley Green, Claverdon; Wolverton Road, Norton Lindsay; Old Warwick Road, Lapworth; St John's Street, Kenilworth; High Street, Kenilworth; Common Lane, Kenilworth; Coventry Road, Kenilworth; A46 by-pass, Kenilworth; The Bank, Stoneleigh.