WHEN mobile phones, tablets and laptops first came on the scene I thought they would be beneficial for communication and a huge benefit for emergencies.

But what we have inherited can only be described as a sad change in the way people seem to have become so obsessed that the original idea of communication seems to have become secondary.

I used to enjoy travelling by public transport, especially on the train but now it has become a journey on which I have to listen to everybody’s business.

I see people travelling together on my regular travels of 30 to 40 minutes without ever speaking to each other.

I have even seen a girl singing on karaoke and texting at the same time and only the other day I had to brake violently to avoid a young woman who had stepped off the pavement while using her mobile.

When I wound down the window and asked her if she realised how close she had come to being knocked down, she glared at me and walked away looking back at me as though I was in the wrong.

As I say, the mobile can be a real benefit in an emergency but it seems rather obvious that they are becoming, to many people, a necessity rather than a benefit. May I add that I do carry a mobile phone and only use it when necessary.

Finally, may I point out the dangers, especially for young people who have those forms of contact. They can be talking to complete strangers who can be telling them anything they like, we hear so often of young people being led into a situation which has led to all sorts of problems.

To all who think that the mobile phone is part of their hand, try a day without it and maybe you will remember where you were and what was going on around you. Get a life!

Les Woods, Sutton (full details supplied)