From wisecracking Scousers through genial Geordies to earthy Tykes, the stereotypes of Northern folk share one thing in common. We are thought to be a friendly lot.

There is much truth behind this clich. Those who believe there is no place like the Home Counties regularly visit northern climes to experience the beauty of the scenery - and the sociability of the people.

So a York academic's conclusion that the most neighbourly folk are our friends in the south is bound to cause consternation.

Roger Burrows, of York University's Centre for Housing Policy, has researched neighbourliness nationwide. His conclusions, submitted in a report for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, have already sparked debate.

He found that Cranborne in Dorset boasts the friendliest neighbours. But his most controversial belief is that nine out of ten of the country's worst neighbourhoods are in the North East of England.

That undoubtedly delivers a blow to this region's image as the warm heart of Britain.

Instead of highlighting the community spirit found up hill and down dale, Mr Burrows homes in on the north's most wretched estates.

Pallister Park in Middlesbrough has the dubious distinction of being named the least-friendly electoral ward in the country. It is plagued by crime and vandalism. One resident even told researchers that she had to sit and guard her washing to prevent it being stolen.

But all cities have their sink estates, equally as grim as Pallister Park. Our entire region should not be condemned as unneighbourly because it boasts a few urban blackspots.

There is overwhelming evidence that the North East boasts community spirit in abundance. Northern folk are always ready with a smile and a greeting for a stranger, the sort of behaviour that would alarm most Londoners.

Moreover, the family and friends support network - virtually extinct in parts of the south - still flourishes here.

This phenomenon might be explained by the fact that many northerners live in each other's pockets. Terraced city streets and close-knit villages make it difficult for people to remain aloof.

Perhaps most of the good residents of Cranborne live in the splendid isolation of detached houses. It is therefore to their credit that they go to the trouble of being overtly neighbourly.

But up here friendliness is effortless. It's the way we are. Mr Burrow's report will not change that.

Fare deal for all

THEY are at that difficult age. Youngsters in their mid-teens yearn for independence, but are still hugely reliant on their parents.

The YO Zone card will help teenagers to cut at least one of the apron strings, however. This imaginative initiative means that every 14 to 16-year-old in York can travel on buses for a child fare.

It is a scheme that should benefit all involved. The teenagers will be able to afford a little freedom; their parents will no longer have to run a chauffeur service; and the bus companies should enjoy a boost in custom.

The YO Zone card will also get young people into the habit of using public transport. That can only be a good thing at a time when we are striving to become a less car-dominated society.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.