Digital revolution hurting real world

FIRST it was Woolworths, then BHS, now Marks & Spencer. The giants of High Street shopping are disappearing with many others on the verge of closing.

It is no use the public complaining. If you insist on sitting on your backsides and buying on the internet, why do you expect shops that you no longer visit to stay open?

The same applies to banks. It may be clever to use internet banking or apps on your mobiles to cover your money transactions so why should banks keep many expensive sites open when so few people use them?

High street premises are expensive to maintain with high rents and rates, staff costs and heating and lighting. How can this continue against the onrush of postal shopping where often the staff involved are on low wages?

Unless the public changes its habits, very soon high streets will consist of only fast food outlets, charity shops and betting shops. BRIAN TAYLOR, North Shields I RESEARCH both military and civil aircraft crashes in County Durham or anywhere south of the River Tyne.

I am asking the readers if they have any details on an aircraft which landed and ended up in a hedge either during World War One or just after at a locality nicknamed Holmes Head near to Rowlands Gill or Lintzford.

Also a light aircraft crashed at Sunniside near Whickham on June 3, 1964. The pilot was Norman Hart and passenger Walter Coburn both from Darras Hall, Ponteland, were OK. I am trying to trace the relations of both with the aim of pinpointing the crash scene. This aircraft was a Piper PA-12 Supercruiser G-ARTH and it is still flying. Please contact me. PHILIP SMITH, 13 Sunnidale, Fellside Park, Whickham, NE16 5TT. Tel: 0191 488 3654 after 8.30pm. Email: philip. smith322@btinternet.com