BT street hubs rejected amid drug-dealing fears
BBCPlans for three BT street hubs have been refused over concerns involving anti-social behaviour and street clutter.
The firm had applied to put the digital replacements for traditional phone boxes on Middlesbrough's Acklam Road, Newport Road, Benson Street and Marton Road, saying they would give people access to "ultrafast" Wi-Fi, free phone calls and public messaging capabilities.
Middlesbrough Council rejected applications for three of the sites after police said hubs elsewhere in the town were used by people contacting drug dealers through the phone service.
A decision has not yet been taken on the Acklam Road site, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The town already has several hubs, including a number on Linthorpe Road and one on Albert Road.
A police officer described them to councillors as a "persistent nuisance", linked to "incidents of violence, drug use and anti-social behaviour".
Drug dealers were said to be "dangerously" driving through the pedestrianised town centre on off-road bikes to deliver drugs – often to the site of the freephone itself.
Meanwhile, "respectable" members of the public were said to be too intimidated by "unruly gangs" to use the hubs.
It is not known whether BT intends to appeal against the rulings.
It had submitted an anti-social behaviour management plan alongside the applications, saying it was "committed" to addressing the minority of users who "abuse" the services provided.
