'No wonder obesity is at its highest' - readers react as Burger King confirms interest in new Hartlepool branch

But not everyone is keen to welcome it back to town. Hartlepool's branch of the burger joint closed in 2015, to be replaced by Frankie and Benny's, which has also now shut down. Owners of Teesbay Retail Park, off the town's Brenda Road, have applied for planning permission to build a new drive-thru Burger King on the site which, if approved, would be open from 5am until midnight. Would you like to see the business return to Hartlepool?

The announcement came just days after thousands of Mail readers expressed their interest in a Nando's in Hartlepool. More than 2,800 people picked the Peri-Peri chicken restaurant in an online poll asking which business residents would like to see come to town next.

Toby Carvery was also a popular choice.

Other businesses on Teesbay include B&M, Halfords and Iceland - with a drive-thru Starbucks also in line to be built.

Here's how you reacted to the story on social media:

Heidi Morrison: "No it doesn't. Why do people think these drive-thrus and fast food places are positive in any way?

"Brings a whole new meaning to the word junkie nowadays."

Sara Louise: "Yes! I love my food!"

Claire Brown: " Know what we need over there, toilets, so we all don’t have to pretend we are shopping in range so we can use their loos."

Anna Gorse: "Toby would be better."

June Martin: "We don't need more food stalls or shops we need something for old and kids can do together like a ice rink, please, it's better than takeaway food shops, enough obesity in Hartlepool."

Kelly Fisk: "Hubby will be over the moon ... would make a change from McDonald's and Greggs."

Carol Burton: "I prefer Burger King to McDonald's, so I think it'll be good to come back into the town, it only closed before because it was a franchise, which wasn't run properly."

Wendy Jane: "More junk food outlets then, no wonder obesity is at its highest."

Related content: Would you like to see Burger King come to Hartlepool?

Lynne Hamilton: "Need something better than a fast food place, surely there [are] enough of them."

Sharon Macrae: "How about some decent shops so we don’t have to go out of town!"

Phill Craggzy: "There are more takeaways in Hartlepool [than] there is in Boro - says it all really."

Suzanne Earle: "No for another fast food."

Sarah Maher: "No not Burger King! Nando's would be ideal!"

Betty Bell: "YES!!!! BURGER KING ALL DAY LONG!"

Amanda Duran: "Of course we do. I mean obesity doesn't affect Hartlepool."

Kay Laverick: "Definitely not! Can't beat the burger van. Bacon butties, hot pork and stuffing, hot beef and gravy or cardboard burgers and chips? I know which I prefer."

Rebecca Fraser: "Why put a business back that’s already failed?"

Ang Howlett: "Why don'y they turn it into a kitchen and [teach] people how to cook healthy food instead of rubbish food?"