EEH by 'eck - the Lancashire accent has been voted as the one people would trust first over the phone!

Homecall, a leading provider of landline telephone calls, surveyed 1,000 homeowners and revealed that although the Scottish lilt was voted the sexiest, Lancashire people sounded the most trustworthy.

They also reported that telephone voices were not to be underestimated.

Having a sexy voice came fourth on a list of assets most important to women in a man and 77 per cent of women and 62 per cent of men questioned said that they had deliberately engineered a meeting with someone whose accent wooed them.

Blackburn born designer Wayne Hemingway, now living in London, said: "I love the Lancashire accent. Even my kids who have been born and grown up in the south love the Lancashire accent. There is something warm and welcoming about it compared to some others. "I have lived in the south for 25 years and when I come back to Blackburn and my mum puts on an old video of me from years ago I realise how much I have lost my accent. People down here can still tell I am from Lancashire, though."

Lancashire linguist and poet Ada Gibson, 88, said: "You can't help how you speak, but I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Lancashire accent. It is lovely. When we used to go on holiday people always used to say "you're from Lancashire", but you don't get that any more because people have lost a lot of it.

"I like all accents I think the Welsh accent is very nice. I am a Lancashire lass, but I don't go round saying 'by 'eck' or walk around with a cloth cap on.

"Some people think the Lancashire accent is raw, but it is not raw just down to earth and I think that is why people find the Lancashire accent trustworthy."

The survey also revealed that Brummie accents pipped Scouse and came top for comedy thanks to the influence of the likes of Frank Skinner and Jasper Carrott; the Yorkshire accent is the bluntest and most down to earth; the Irish inflection was voted most relaxed, and Cockney the most persuasive.

The West Country accent and its 'farmer image' was the least popular accent followed by the twangy inner city accents of Liverpool, Glasgow and Manchester which voters cited as harsh and overly aggressive.

Vox pop"

Kathleen Hooper, Oswaldtwistle: "The Lancashire accent is nice because it's warm and welcoming. It's nice to have a warm person at the end of the phone."

Margaret Rollinson, Blackburn: "There are only a few people around these days that have a proper Lancashire accent, but it definitely is a nice accent."

Qammar Abbas, Blackburn: "I don't really like the Lancashire accent. It sounds strange to people in the south who talk with a more posh accent."

Asif Mahmood, Blackburn: "The Lancashire accent is OK but I prefer other accents. The Scottish accent is really nice and I think I prefer that more."

Colin Christie, Darwen: "The Lancashire accent can be one of the hard to understand, but the people are open hearted. I have moved back from Wales where people speak fast."

Barbara Snelson, Burnley: "I like the Geordie accent. I wish I had gone to elocution lessons. I don't like my accent because it is perceived by southerners as a bit common."

Ben Wilson, Darwen: "The Lancashire accent sounds welcoming but sometimes people find it sounds a bit common and rough."

Rachael Braithwaite, Great Harwood: "I like the friendly American accent. I like the Lancashire accent too as it doesn't sound stuck up."

Kimberley Talbot, Blackburn: "I don't like the Lancashire accent - it's common. I like the Yorkshire accent, but don't think it is important."