Payphone Says…Street Wise Kids Don’t Vandalise! (1987)
Telephones were often associated with children’s safety, but also with danger. Produced in conjunction with Merseyside police, this poster was part of British Telecom’s 1987 National Payphone Services campaign to prevent payphone vandalism. It shows children playing near train tracks, roads, building sites, electric telephone pylons, and the water edge. Kiosk vandalism, especially in large cities, had been of concern since the 1950s, and the poster also featured a cartoon police telephone kiosk. The slogan, ‘Use it, don’t abuse it – payphone saves lives’ was a familiar sight in British Telecom telephone kiosks, urging the general public to keep payphones in working order, especially for use in an emergency.
BT Group Archives: TCB 325/EHA 6020
