Before we get overexcited, may I provide a cautionary note.

I was born in the large village of Idle, on the outskirts of Bradford, in the late 1940s, my dad having one of the local newsagents.

Also in the village, among the 64 shops, were five butchers, two pork butchers, three bakers, two chemists, three greengrocers, two general grocers, a large hardware shop etc, all making a good living, thank you.

Just after my dad sold the shop, a large supermarket chain opened a new store on the edge of the village (which ironically was itself taken over by Tesco, and closed down).

Not long after, the shops started closing, one by one, to be replaced by charity shops, and takeaways, to the extent that before too long NONE of the above survived.

While there are many in Filey who cannot make it to Morrisons, and have to shop in Filey, maybe a new Tesco, with its cheaper prices on the doorstep, will be a Godsend.

While strolling through the town at the moment, you can see empty, and for sale shops all over the place, and it will only get worse rather than better.

A spokeswoman for Tesco said they were very excited, and see it as a great opportunity to improve choice and shopping in Filey – and keep people shopping locally.

Shopping at Tesco is NOT shopping locally, it is shopping at Tesco.

Tesco has a commitment to cutting our carbon footprint, but will be trucking in load after load of its produce from distribution centres far away, rather than it being grown, baked, and sourced locally.

Hopefully we will have a plentiful supply of holidaymakers this year, but who will sadly bring in their money, spend it at Tesco, and then leave.

Cllr Haddington says it is a welcome boost for local jobs. With all the local shops closing down, there will be plenty of workforce to choose from.

Allan M Cox

Fir Tree Drive

Filey