Is this the most honest village in the UK? Its only shop is open 24-7... and no one ever mans it



Calling in: Parish clerk Jane Markham collects her shopping from the telephone box

In an age of soaring crime, it is an unorthodox - and some would say risky - approach to security.

The village shop in Draughton, North Yorkshire, is never locked or manned, and relies on old-fashioned honesty to balance its books.

But it would take more than an opportunistic thief to take advantage of the shopkeepers' good nature - because to the outside observer, the store looks like nothing more than a phone box.

After the only shop in the village closed down two years ago, residents feared that the community spirit would be lost from their rural idyll.

That was until imaginative councillors converted the empty red telephone kiosk into a tiny grocery store - selling bread, milk, sandwiches, newspapers and an assortment of other essentials for the village's 250 residents.

There is nothing to stop passers-by helping themselves, but in the two weeks since the phone box opened for business, nothing has been stolen.

Residents place their orders by phone and goods are delivered daily by Lewis Cooke, who owns a newsagent's four miles away in Skipton.

He said: 'The parish council got in touch and explained that they had got this phone box and wanted to use it as a place to leave groceries and newspapers for people.

Collection point: The telephone box in Draughton, North Yorkshire has been converted into a small shop where villagers collect their groceries

'I said that would be fine and I deliver the things to the phone box every morning just before 7am. I put a list of everything that we have in the phone box and people can just call up and tell me what they want.

'They know that it will be put in the phone box the next day and they can just come by whenever they want and pick it up. Everything has the person's name on it so they can just collect it and go.

'Customers either pay with a credit card over the phone or by leaving a cheque for me. It has been amazing the way everyone has respected the things that are left there.

'The phone box isn't locked and people can come and go in there when they want, but no one has taken a thing, which just shows how honest everyone around here is.'

The post office shop in the village, near the Yorkshire Dales National Park, closed in April 2008 following the retirement of owners Muriel Curtis and Enid Pringle.

But last year, the parish council bought the unused phone box, situated outside the former shop, from British Telecom for £1. At first, a shelf was built into the phone box just to hold newspapers.

Rural idyll: The Yorkshire Dales village of Draughton where traditional values are being restored

But two weeks ago, the other corners were stocked with ordered goods, which can include batteries, pet food, stationery, cleaning products, toiletries and stamps, as well as groceries.

Parish clerk Jane Markham, 50, said: 'It's a good example of the community spirit of the village, we all look after each other. We talked about putting a lock on it, but we decided it wasn't necessary.

'At first the telephone box was used just for newspapers, but it worked so well that two weeks ago we decided to try groceries as well.'

About 70 of Draughton's 250 residents have used the shop so far.