DON'T expect a helping hand in the central English city of Birmingham - residents there are the rudest people in Britain, a survey has claimed.

"Brummies", as they are locally known, were the least likely to pass a series of courtesy tests such as holding the door for someone behind them or stopping to help a person who had dropped their shopping, according to the study by the Reader's Digest.

Residents in Newcastle, northern England, on the other hand, were most polite, followed by inhabitants of Liverpool, in the northwest, and Exeter in the south east.

The Reader's Digest sent undercover "civility inspectors" to eight British cities to test them with a variety of politeness trials.

As well as door-holding and help with dropped shopping, they checked whether shop assistants were well-mannered enough to say "please" and "thank you" and whether drivers thanked those who let them merge into rush hour traffic.

Britons overall were polite 59 percent of the time, while Newcastle residents passed 77 percent of the tests.

In contrast, Birmingham natives managed to show common courtesy on only 43 percent of occasions.

While women were generally more polite than men, chivalry is not dead: 88 percent of men held the door open for a female researcher, compared with only 44 percent of women.

"(British Prime Minister) Tony Blair has made the rebuilding of respect in communities an official priority," said Readers Digest editor-in-chief Katherine Walker.

"Given some of the results of this test, he has his work cut out."

The other cities tested were Cardiff, London, Southampton and Edinburgh.

... according to the study by the Reader's Digest.

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Surprised anybody cares.

You mean Reader's Digest did the study!....do you mean THE Reader's Digest!...the world famous research think tank Reader's Digest! Wow!!!!

Seen in more toilets than any other publication ever.

You mean Reader's Digest did the study!....do you mean THE Reader's Digest!...the world famous research think tank Reader's Digest!  Wow!!!!

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Seen in more toilets than any other publication ever.

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I think you'll find that Wolfie's phone number is published in more toilets than the readers digest.

Am surprised London didn't win hands down.

I think you'll find that Wolfie's phone number is published in more toilets than the readers digest. 

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Thats why i had to leave England, i was being stalked by this 6ft tranny with a 6 o'clock shadow stubble and a pot belly the size of Warwickshire...

... But you found me FTH, the world is, indeed, a small place

Herro my pretty!

I think you'll find that Wolfie's phone number is published in more toilets than the readers digest. 

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Thats why i had to leave England, i was being stalked by this 6ft tranny with a 6 o'clock shadow stubble and a pot belly the size of Warwickshire...

... But you found me FTH, the world is, indeed, a small place

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Any Brummies here?

If so, rudely make yourselves known.