Scots Are The Most Neighbourly In The UK !

Just like TV soap Neighbours, Scots rely on each other.

A survey has found Scotland is the most neighbourly area of Britain. The report by Halifax Home Insurance also found the UK is more neighbourly than it was five years ago.

Scotland scored 100 points out of a maximum 121 on the so-called neighbourliness barometer, which marked regions on 11 categories. The lowest score was recorded in the north east of England, which clocked 41 points, and London came second to last with only 46 points.

Vicky Emmott, senior research manager at Halifax Home Insurance, said: "We looked at factors such as strength of friendship with neighbours, the extent to which we would seek advice from neighbours, the sense of safety and security within neighbourhoods and a variety of other measures.

We then rated each region based on the responses and from this were able to create a map of British neighbourliness which represents a fascinating insight into community relations in Britain today."

The research also reveals nearly 13.1 million people would count neighbours as close friends, with 42% socialising with them regularly. More than half of those surveyed (53%) admitted their neighbours were their lifeline if they find themselves locked out without a key.

Peter Marsh of the Social Issues Research Centre, who analysed the results of the study, said: "This research shows that Britain remains a neighbourly country, despite gloomy prognoses to the contrary.

"What the results reflect is the enduring human need for a sense of belonging with others around them. "Our cities, towns and lifestyles may have changed quite markedly over the past century, or even the past decade, but our need to be part of a community remains."

For people of retirement age, neighbours tended to also be good friends with whom they socialise. Younger people, on the other hand, tended to distinguish between neighbours and their main circle of friends. They socialised much less frequently with people in the immediate vicinity, according to the report, which questioned 1,000 adults about their relationships with their neighbours.

Och! We could have told you all this without doing a survey... "Gie's yer haun tae ah shake it!" (For those that don't understand Scottish, it means... "Give me your hand and I will shake it!" (A neighbourly gesture!).