I MADE a rare bank holiday trip to Darlington town centre, and was surprised how quiet it was.

No wonder the town is dying.

It is not attractive to visit with so many shops either closed or empty. I was speaking to a prominent person, and quite agreed with his statement.

The main reason so many shops are leaving, it must be the high cost of rent.

Secondly car parking is too expensive for a small town. Give the first hour free and then 50p per hour.

I do go on trips to towns of similar size to Darlington, and find shops that have closed here are open for business, the likes of Burtons, Mothercare etc.

Put the market on a Monday to where it should be in the market square.

I also believe that those who run Darlington council have no idea of how a business should be run to make a profit. I fear for the future.

John Brant, Darlington