POLITICIANS have expressed their frustration at the prospect of losing a leading high street retailer from two town centres in the region.

Marks and Spencer has announced that it is proposing the closures of its Darlington and Stockton stores and it will be consulting with 82 colleagues at its Darlington store, and 45 colleagues at its Stockton store.

Yesterday, the firm revealed the locations of the latest 14 stores to shut, affecting more than 600 jobs. It has already closed 22 clothing stores, affecting about 900 jobs, as it attempts to tackle falling sales and profits.

Andrew Crooks, head of region for North East at Marks & Spencer, said: “The decision to propose the closures of Darlington and Stockton was a difficult one and we will be speaking with all our colleagues individually about what is right for them.

“We remain committed to the community and customers can continue to shop with us at our nearby stores, including Teesside Retail Park. Later this year we’ll also be opening our new Foodhall at West Park which will offer our popular M&S.com collect in store service.”

However, last night MPs and council leaders spoke of their frustration that the national giant was considering delivery another blow to the town centres.

Darlington MP Jenny Chapman has urged the company to rethink its decision and called on the town's residents to show their support by using the shop.

"There's no point in trying to put any gloss on this news," she said. "This could be a devastating blow to the town centre, M&S is one of the cornerstones of Darlington and it key to bringing people into the town.

"It's going to be a real struggle but we can't give up and we have to work hard to get them to reconsider their decision and one way to do that is for people to start using the shop more regularly."

And councillor Chris McEwan, Darlington Borough Council cabinet member for economy and regeneration, added: “The decision today from M&S to close 100 stores, including ours here in Darlington and our neighbours in Stockton, is deeply regrettable and undeniably a blow for the town, particularly for those staff members affected.

“The decision by M&S shows the perfect storm that all High Streets now find themselves in, as major retailers move their focus to out of town retail parks and online - away from the heart of the communities that they pledge to serve.

“We will continue our ongoing dialogue with other key retailers in the town centre.

“We are working hard to support the town centre and create the conditions for new investment and more visitors by opening up new employment and residential opportunities and encouraging people to visit Darlington for shopping and leisure."

Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham said: “The decision by M&S to close its Stockton store is a huge blow not only to the people who work and shop there, but to Stockton High Street as a whole. Yet again, we are seeing the impact of out of town complexes which have been the death knell for so many towns.

“In recent years, Stockton Hight Street has undergone £38 million worth of regeneration, is attracting new stores, and was crowned High Street of Year, 2016. This announcement flies in the face of this demonstrable upturn in our High Street’s fortunes, and I’ll be writing to the Chief Executive of M&S, to call on him to reconsider this decision.”

Councillor Bob Cook, leader of Stockton Borough Council, added: “This is disappointing news but it’s certainly not come as a shock to us because we’re well aware that tough economic conditions and the popularity of online and out of town shopping have put our town centres under great strain."

And shopworkers' trade union Usdaw has called on the company to immediately open up a dialogue with the union to ensure staff are properly represented, after the company announced a further 14 store closures.

David Gill, national officer for the union, said: "This salami-slicing approach to reorganising the business is extremely distressing for the staff.

"Usdaw has thousands of members working for Marks & Spencer and the staff now need, more than ever, the representation and support of an independent trade union.

"We again urge M&S management to abandon their long-held resistance to recognising Usdaw as the union to represent its staff.

"It is simply unfair that they continue to refuse their staff access to Usdaw, having made the decision on their behalf not to engage with a trade union."

The firm has confirmed it intends to go ahead with its plan to open a new food hall in West Park in Darlington as it continues to transform the location of its stores.

Sacha Berendji, retail, operations and property director at M&S, said: “Closing stores isn’t easy but it is vital for the future of M&S. Where we have closed stores, we are seeing an encouraging number of customers moving to nearby stores and enjoying shopping with us in a better environment, which is why we’re continuing to transform our estate with pace.”