SIR - I read the piece about M&S not giving up on the high street stores. They gave up on ours in Bradford.

We loved our M&S and really asked them to stay or even leave us a food section.

It was always busy and the staff there were lovely. It seemed a really harsh decision to close it, especially as Bradford to be UK City of Culture next year. Almost a snub.

It was the main reason for lots of people to visit Bradford; visiting the shop, meeting up with friends at the cafe. Really disappointing. Lots of older folk can't visit Leeds or Owlcotes.

This has all been said already. Reading about it again in the T&A and hearing of new stores in the more affluent cities of Bath and Bristol, assurances they're not leaving city centres, shows the class distinction to the South of England.

Bradford always had an M&S. It was our favourite shop to get everything we needed.

Ruth Hill, Bradford