OK, so nobody got hurt and nobody died when the now infamous publicity leaflet for Bishop Auckland claimed the town to be the birthplace of comedian Stan Laurel, but does nobody proof-read these things?

Did nobody think “Stan Laurel – what other information could we include? Let’s spend thirty seconds and type his name into Google.” Isn’t research part of producing such tourist (mis)information? As for the urban myth that Stan was born in the town, it has never existed.

Some residents didn’t know where he was born, others, when pressed by the media this week, hazarded a guess that it might have been Bishop, while the majority knew, if not his actual birthplace, that it wasn’t Bishop.

Council cuts? How about removing amateurs, such as those responsible for this admittedly relatively harmless mix-up from their list of preferred suppliers.

Paul Dobson, Bishop Auckland.