Pylons where the shops should be

Shiremoor is an old pit village near Whitley Bay with no real high street, a lot of pylons and a Metro station with broken glass round it. There's nothing to do at night, people rat-run through to dodge the main road, and the fly-tippers dump stuff along the old wagonways. Locals call it Costa del Shire. They're joking.

There's 1 pub, hardly a play space and no swimming pool, so the kids get the Children's Treat once a year and the pylons the rest of the time. Some bright spark sets fire to things at two and a half times the typical town's rate. Bring your own sunshine.

The editor, who looked for the centre