TIME is running out for the residents of Sevenhampton to save their beloved phone box.

The picturesque red kiosk is a feature of the village and residents are determined that it stays put, despite a threat from BT.

The telecommunications giant announced earlier this year that phone boxes around the country were facing the chop, including the one in Sevenhampton and 14 others across Swindon.

One couple were so concerned about the axe hanging over the box that they offered to buy it.

Carmel Ardrey and her partner Bernard Harrington were alerted to the plight of their beloved phone box after reading a report in the Adver about the BT cull.

Carmel said: “We thought it would be a real shame if it was taken away, so we thought, why don’t we buy it?

“You do hear of people buying a box and putting it in their garden so we decided to look into it.”

The couple approached BT to see what the response would be.

Carmel said: “I only got as far as their customer services department, who basically told us to forget it. They just said we don’t sell them, and told us to go to a public auction.”

The couple are now putting their faith in a scheme called Adopt-A-Kiosk, which helps communities take ownership of a box free of charge, ensuring the kiosk, minus the payphone equipment, is retained for generations to come.

Carmel said: “We are still hoping to go down this route, but first we need to go to the council. We are hoping to get our local councillors on board.”

Carmel, whose house is directly next to the box, said the community is keen to save it.

“It’s a really important part of Sevenhampton. I’m sure nobody would ever find my house if I couldn’t give them the phone box as a signpost.

“There are no street lights in Sevenhampton and people do use the phone box as a point of reference because there are no house numbers.”

If the community was successful in adopting the box they would have to pay an upfront fee of £500 then £12 a year from then on.

The kiosk is a K6, a model dating from 1936 which was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.

It is one of seven that Swindon Council has submitted to English Heritage for listed status.