KCOM to Close Mini Library Inside Classic Phone Box Due to Fire Risk
Hull-based phone and broadband ISP KCOM, which have deployed a full fibre (FTTP) network across 305,000 premises in parts of East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire (England), has taken the decision to close a tiny “community library” in Skidby, that was set up during 2020 inside the village phone box, because it posed a “serious fire risk“.
KCOM, not unlike BT, are known to have converted or helped to convert a number of their classic cream-coloured K6 phone boxes to mini-libraries. In practice, this just amounted to stacking some books up inside the box, which local residents could then take out and replace at their leisure. But some of those conversions took place inside phone boxes that were no longer carrying an active phone service.
However, the phone box in the village of Skidby now includes an additional sign, which asks disappointed residents not to put books inside as they “pose a series fire risk“. A spokesperson for KCOM told the BBC News that, as the box is still providing an active service, they are “regulatory obliged by Ofcom to make sure it is in working order in case anyone needs to make a call, including in 999 emergencies.”
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The operator added that they were “keen to work with the local community to see if there are other solutions to creating a book space,” you know, like an actual library, back when we used to have those.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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“Elf & Safety Gone Maaaad”, etc! I mean, really? It’s a phone in a metal box in the street. Even if it somehow spontaneously combusted, there’s essentially zero risk to anyone.
I think the risk is more to do with the phone box being out of service for emergency calls as it’s still a working box, and they are obligated to ensure 999 can be called. With a pile of books in there and some youths deciding the light them on fire, that’s where the risk lies. Of course the youths could just chuck loads of newspaper in there and light it on fire, but not much anyone can do about that.
If it was a decommissioned box, it sounds like there wouldn’t be any issue with the books in there
“KCOM, not unlike BT, are known to have converted a number of their classic cream-coloured K6 phone boxes to mini-libraries”
I don’t BT are converting phone box’s to libraries, I think they are selling them to communities who then convert them
So they’ve been lucky for 5 years then?
This sounds very much like the original “library” was unofficial or didn’t go through formal safety checks (quite possible as it was 2020). Personally I’d rather have a working phone than books in a phone box, even if the box might only be needed for one emergency call a decade. I can also see that the time when a 999 call might be needed is exactly the time when there might also be a fire, so not filling the box with flammable material makes sense.
Sadly I suspect this will be another reason given to remove the phone, at which point making it a library would become justifiable.