A WONKY phonebox labelled the “leaning tower of Frinton” has finally been repaired after ten years.

Frinton and Walton Town Council pay £350 a year to keep and maintain the red phonebox in Gun Garden, Frinton.

When repairs were set to be made, BT advised a new foundation would need to be laid and the power disconnected.

But the company said it would not reconnect the power supply.

Councillors insisted a working telephone is necessary at the location, in Connaught Avenue.

Now repairs have finally been made and were welcomed by Dave Foster, of Frinton in Bloom, which tends to the garden.

He joked: “It has been gradually on the move for the past ten years, trying to move itself out into the North Sea.

“It is getting more like a visitor attraction now, like the leaning tower of Frinton.

“It has been saved - there was a threat it would be taken to bits.

“It still functions and I would argue it still serves a function.

“It is close to the beach, it has a hand in helping us qualify for a blue flag award.

“If someone had an emergency in the sea and they don’t have their mobile on them, the box could prove extremely useful.”

It is thought the phone box has been in place for more than 40 years.

Mr Foster said it remains an important part of Frinton’s seafront.

He added phone boxes still have a role to play in the mobile phone age.

Many redundant phone boxes have been altered for different uses, including mini-museums and libraries.

“It had been said we could just use it to store books and things,” said Mr Foster.

“More likely it would just be used as a toilet.

“This phone box is still used, it is only just still used, it is there in case of emergencies.

“It is all fine until something goes wrong and someone asks why it isn’t there.”

He also hit back at critics who suggest phone boxes have no place in today’s society.

He added: “You always get a real cross-section of people’s views these days and of course some people won’t see the point.

“The bottom line is this is something which has been there for so long, which serves a function.”

Gun Garden was rededicated to Lord Byng, of Thorpe Hall, in August.

General Lord Byng fought in Flanders and at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in France during the First World War.

A captured German gun was placed in the gardens, but was removed in 1940.