Phone box inspector Patrick Lilley [LDRS]

BIG, bright and a symbol of London, red phone boxes are often used for the perfect Instagram background for tourists.

But a councillor who has inspected the BT boxes still standing in Soho says they are in such “disgusting disrepair” that nobody is likely to want to step inside.

Patrick Lilley went on a tour with the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service and gave each a box a rating – as seen in the panels above.

He came across phone boxes filled with excrement, sex paraphernalia, cigarette butts and empty bottles of beer and wine.

Not only adored by tourists, the phone boxes are also a lifeline for people who had had their belongings stolen, Mr Lilley said – and need to be repaired by BT. “People do need them. People need to use the phone in emergencies. After all, how are you going to call the police if your phone has been stolen?”

BT has said its maintenance teams regularly monitor and maintain a number of payphones in Soho and was meeting with Westminster City officials this week.

It said they are committed to working with police and local authorities to tackle criminal use of its payphone and urges anyone who witnesses such activity to call police. According to Cllr Lilley, these icons of a bygone area are being turned into hubs for anti-social behaviour with people using them as toilets. He claimed they had also become a haven for drug users and dealers.

After completing his tour, the councillor questioned BT’s cleaning routine for the boxes and said he felt it might be a “default” policy to wait for customers to complain before carrying out repairs.

“They only clean them in response to our engagement to clean them,” he said. “Their default is not to clean them until someone tells them about it.”

He has met with the Metropolitan Police, representatives of the Soho Society and BT, while the council has requested the telecoms company removes four of its boxes in Soho.

A BT spokesperson said the company constantly reviews its payphones and removes any that are not being used, in line with Ofcom’s latest guidance.

They said: “We encourage people to report damage they see to our payphones or those in need of a clean. We’re grateful to the councillor for bringing this to our attention. Our mainten­ance teams have already checked and carried out work on a number of the payphones in question and a meeting has been arranged between BT and council officials later this week to discuss these matters further.

“We would urge anyone who witnesses criminal activity to report it to the police. And while crime and anti-social behaviour are police matters, we remain committed to working closely with the authorities and local communities to help where we can.”

An inspector calls (or does he?): how Cllr Lilley rated Soho’s iconic but stinky red telephone boxes

DEAN STREET
On Dean Street, opposite Make Mine café. Cllr Lilley noticed an “odour-rama” as he approached this BT box on busy Dean Street. It was found to be clean and well-maintained inside and had a working phone line.
Score: 6/10

CHARING X ROAD
On Charing Cross Road, opposite the Phoenix Theatre, this phone box was in desperate need of a repaint and was filled with graffiti. However, it had a working phone line. “It’s ugly but it’s clean and functioning,” Cllr Lilley said.
Score: 4/10

BREWER STREET
At Brewer Street junction with Bridge Lane. This box has been sealed shut with a screw and couldn’t be opened. As a result, it wasn’t given a rating. It cannot be used to make calls, however.
Score: No rating

GT WINDMILL ST
Three BT boxes on Great Windmill Street. The first had human faeces smeared on what looked like kitchen roll left on the floor. There were cigarette butts and an almighty smell of faeces. The others were filled with graffiti or had half-eaten food.
Score: 0/10

MOOR STREET
On the corner of Moor Street, outside the Palace Theatre. This phone box was filled with ripped-up leaflets. The leaflets showed images of strippers and their contact details. It was in a relatively clean condition and had a working line.
Score: 3/10

SHAFTESBURY ST
On Shaftesbury Street. This payphone had a half-empty bottle of red wine inside but seemed in decent condition and had a working phone line. We’re called over by a cleaner who says graffiti on the box cannot be removed.
Score: 4/10

WARDOUR ST
The stench of this phone box can be picked up a mile away thanks to a dried-up patch of urine lingers on one of its external panels. Cllr Lilley said the phone line worked well and that it was not one of the ‘scarier’ boxes around.
Score: 5/10