EIGHT out of 10 people (85 per cent) couldn’t identify all their neighbours in a police line-up, a study has revealed.

Nearly one in ten (7 per cent) people in the North West couldn’t identify a single neighbour, whereas people in Northern Ireland are most likely to know their neighbours with just 2 per cent saying they couldn’t identify a single one.

The research poll of more than 4,000 UK adults showed that people in the North West have the strongest sense of belonging to their county (70 per cent) and town (60 per cent) more than their strength of belonging to their own neighbourhood (48 per cent).

The study was commissioned by Eden Project Communities for The Big Lunch, the largest gathering of neighbours in the UK.

The Big Lunch - an idea from the Eden Project made possible by The National Lottery – will be held this year on Sunday 3 June, aiming to beat last year’s record involvement of 9.3 million people across the UK.

Kathryn Garnett, north of England spokesperson for The Big Lunch, said: “The research shows how much potential there is for people living in the North West to get to know their neighbours better, replacing anonymous neighbourhoods with closer ties and stronger communities. This year, on Sunday 3 June, each and every single person in the North West is invited to join their neighbours at a Big Lunch. Whether sharing a cup of tea with just one other person, or a small gathering around a table to share some food, anyone can get together with people that live on their doorstep to form new connections.”