A view of the Midlands from north of the Tyne

sir – Many of my constituents in Newcastle upon Tyne believed that the Midlands (Letters, November 12) started at Gateshead.

Mike Thomas

MP for Newcastle upon Tyne East, 1974-83

Brill, Buckinghamshire

sir – The North starts where fish-andchip shops offer clear vinegar instead of malt vinegar.

Peter Harding

Storrington, West Sussex

sir – In 1961 there was a café where the motorway section of the A1 ended in north Nottinghamshire. We thought we had reached the North then because the tea was served in mugs. Amanda Howard

Enfield, Middlesex

sir – Throughout my working life I was based south of the Thames, in Surrey, Berkshire, Barbados, South Africa, Hampshire and Devon. The only exception was when I worked for a few years in Mayfair. The Thames makes a good North-south divide. David Warren

South Zeal, Devon