Anne Lewis, 65, of Darlington

“It’s devastating. I come into town to shop in Marks & Spencer and now I’ll have to go to Middlesbrough. The one at West Park is too far out of the way.

“There’s not much choice for shops in Darlington anymore it’s full of banks and bakeries, the town looks like a ghost town.”

• End of an era at town centre shop closes

Yvonne Armstrong, 75, of Harrowgate Hill

“I’m absolutely devastated, it’s not just a place to shop it’s a meeting place.

“It’s just awful. The other Marks & Spencer is out the way, so I’ll probably have to go to Middlesbrough to shop.”

Robert Corrance, 35, of Catterick 

“I don’t go to Marks & Spencer to shop but I think all the shops are closing because of the rent prices, Marks & Spencer will have fallen victim to that. The towns losing more and more businesses.”

Oliver Parkes, 29, of Darlington

“I don’t shop there but all the shops have gone in that part of town. It’s dying and now Marks & Spencer is closing it will get worse.

“My mam comes to the town to shop and I think she’ll suffer because there’s nothing left. It will definitely be the older generation which will be impacted most by this, they’ll have to travel to another town.”

Marc Dillon, 42, of Darlington

“The shopping in the town is stupid.

“I think it will impact the town because people won’t travel to West Park, it’s too far to go for one shop.

“There’s nothing left in Darlington anymore.”

Michelle Pashchenko, 36, of Darlington

“I don’t shop in Marks & Spencer and neither do my family, it won’t affect us very much.

“I am sick of all the shops leaving, even Binns is going, the town has nothing.”