A petition signed by more than 300 people has prompted British Telecom to reinstate a public phone box removed from Helston earlier this year.

The disappearance of the payphone on the Penzance Road near the cattle market was met with dismay by local residents, and by the scores of people regularly using leisure facilities at Coronation Park.

Castle Green resident Marjorie Moulding started up a petition calling for the kiosk to be reinstated, and, with the assistance of the park's cafe owner, Mike Lemon, quickly collected well over 300 signatures.

The petition was sent to BT by Helston councillor Sue Swift, who had already written to the company expressing concern at plans to remove the cattle market phone box, and several others in the town.

To the delight of all involved, the Penzance Road payphone has now reappeared.

Mrs Swift said it was vitally important there was a phone box in that location. "All sorts of people use the park, including many children, and not everyone has a mobile phone," she said.

"The cafe is not always open, and if there was an emergency that phone box could be desperately important.

"BT said the phone boxes weren't being used, but people clearly felt very strongly about keeping that one there. To their credit, BT did listen."

Mrs Swift was recently advised that the payphone on Meneage Road - another kiosk on the BT hit-list - will also be reinstated.