SO when Sebastian Coe and his fellow Olympic gravy train travellers told us in the North- East that we would all benefit from the London Olympics and that we would all see a financial, as well as a social, benefit did anyone actually believe them?

Did anyone really think that the North would see jobs and prosperity from this? I for one did not.

But while the public had to pay for it, the PR machine went into overdrive trying to convince us of the wonderful opportunities we were be able to tap into.

Like so many things we are told as “fact”, those selling it are often the only ones to make any profit out of it.

How many other lies and half truths have we been told by governments over the last 30 years?

GN Bull, Darlington