Having travelled around the country a fair lot, I have come to the conclusion that Bolton is one of the most mobile phone obsessed places there is.

The town centre is full of people - mostly women - ringing people while waving at them at the same time because they are only a short distance away, or texting and not looking where they are going.

In Marks and Spencer the other day a woman was on the phone asking what vegetables she should buy while other people tried to get on with their business - and she was still rudely chatting away as she queued to pay.

People on buses and trains constantly ring and text and, despite all the campaigns and warnings, a lot of drivers don't seem to be able to travel from A to B without having a conversation.

Yes, as the adverts say, it is good to talk, but as someone else once said, silence is golden. Perhaps, now they have banned smoking, the Government could stop people from using mobile phones in public.

Barry Pearson, Bolton