WE live in an era where radicals are on the rise and the whipping-up of hatred has become part of mainstream politics.

Reasoned debate is increasingly being replaced by rhetoric and bullying to create an environment where some people seem to think that it is acceptable to spout their opinions without fear of consequence.

They are wrong. A fundamental part of living in a democracy is that the freedom we all enjoy to express our opinions comes with responsibilities.

We condemn utterly therefore the poisonous letter sent to Durham Police which threatens local councillors. The comments in the letter may be no more than the nasty ramblings of one misguided individual, but in the wake of the Jo Cox murder threats of violence made to public figures need to be taken seriously.

We believe in freedom of speech and people have a right to criticise the views of politicians, but harassment and personal abuse has worsened considerably in recent years.

Being able to get something off your chest in a public forum, whether that is on a letters page in a newspaper, via social media and websites or at a face-to-face meeting is an important part of how any healthy society works.

The Echo offers readers various platforms, such as the daily Hear All Sides section where this week alone we have published letters that have expressed anger at Brexit, affection for brave battler Bradley Lowery and frustration at the unreliability of local bus services.

But the twisted internet trolls who hide behind fake names as they hurl abusive words from their keyboards and the writers of poison pen letters are cowards.

If you have lost faith in a local politician then there are myriad legal, democratic and honest ways in which you can hold them to account – at public meetings, in debates and at the ballot box. Violence is never the answer.