SO the UK’s sovereign debt has breached the £1 trillion figure but if, like me, you have no concept of just how large that number is then consider this: imagine that the figure is seconds not pounds.

A million seconds is a little over 11 days 13 hours, a billion seconds is 31 years and eight and a bit months, while a trillion seconds is a little over 31,709 years.

It starts to give you an idea of the size of the problem.

Tony Pattison, Darlington.

IS there is a sum larger than a trillion? Yes, it is called a quadrillion and the way the Coalition is heading that could well be the figure of the nation’s debt before the end of its first term.

Currently, Britain has a £1 trillion debt to deal with. Yes, we know Gordon Brown’s New Labour lived beyond its means but come on, Mr Brown was ejected from No 10 more than 18 months ago and it’s only under this Coalition that Britain’s debt has actually risen to a trillion, up by £120.9bn from this time last year.

Its a grim picture but it comes as no surprise when David Cameron’s Coalition thinks that taxing the rich does not produce any more income, so he doesn’t do it.

He also thinks the Queen’s new proposed luxury yacht will not cost the taxpayer a penny, it will be paid by private donations and maintained by subscriptions from the pocket money of the Sea Cadets.

Mr Cameron and Nick Clegg have proved that they cannot run this country. Nor can the suits at the Bank of England who seem to think pumping further billions of monopoly money into the economy will boost Britain’s fortunes.

The “don’t despair, all crises come to an end” promise does not wash any more.

Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg better book an appointment on the new work programme and do some job searching of their own – because they will surely need new jobs when the electorate finally catch up with them.

Stephen Dixon, Redcar.