Hexham resident Gillian Warren sent a letter to the Hexham Courant to say that Hexham was in desperate need of a facelift after falling into a bad state of repair.

Fellow readers agreed with her, saying they too were concerned about the appearance of the town, particularly the high street.

Here is what they said on Facebook and Twitter.

Liz Hardwick said: “Such a shame to see Hexham deteriorating especially when you compare it to Morpeth. Does make one wonder if it has anything to do with fact that our council is based there.”

Vikki Ewen said: “Yes- I shopped there once a couple of years ago while waiting for someone at the Hospital expecting a lovely county town- it was awful.”

Willie Weatherson said: “Town centres will never be the same again. The online buying has gone forward eight years in eight months and won’t go back to town shopping again.”

Brenda Kilgallon said: “I’ve lived in the Tyne Valley for over 30 years and to see Hexham disintegrated over these years is very sad. We used to have a range of independent shops and Tynedale Council kept the town looking good. Facelift long overdue.”

Caroline Watson said: “A colleague’s wife was standing in Fore Street when a piece of masonry fell off a building and missed her by inches. Hopefully the new fund will sort out things like that. Hexham started to decline when the Mart moved to Tyne Green. It needs high quality shops like Morpeth, not tat shops and fast food outlets. Yorkshire Trading sounds as if it will be a good addition.”