The French are not known for their love of all things British but one town south of Paris is eagerly awaiting a traditional red phone box coming all the way from Penkridge.

The phone boxes, once a common site on streets throughout Britain, are now becoming collectors’ items with one travelling hundreds of miles to a new home in Ablon-sur-Seine, the twin town of Penkridge.

The Staffordshire village’s Twinning Association is sending the phone box to its French friends as a gift to celebrate the association’s 21 years of partnership with residents in Ablon.

It is likely to take pride of place in the town which expressed a desire for the boxes after seeing one, donated by Stourport-on-Severn’s twinning association, in a nearby French town.

Bob Eccleston, chairman of Penkridge Twinning Association, is driving to Ablon with business partner Spencer More who together have refurbished the box after buying it on ebay for £250. It is now worth £4,500.