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People from some parts of the country are significantly more likely to be mocked or singled out because of the way they speak, according to a study.

The Sutton Trust’s Speaking Up report says that attitudes to accents have little changed – with the standard received pronunciation accent, French-accented English, and “national” standard varieties (Scottish, American, Irish) all ranked highly.

But accents associated with industrial cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool – commonly described as “working class accents” – and ethnic minority accents, such as Afro-Caribbean and Indian, tend to be the lowest ranked.

Ben Jones, 28, from Stockport, said he was once asked if he was from “one of those desolate wastelands where the factories used to be”.

Now a senior leader at a school in Boston, Mr Jones said he was “hyper-aware” of his accent while at university, adding: “It is certainly something that people judge you on – they assume that it means you are not well-educated or cultured.

“The minute you open your mouth – literally – you have a disadvantage.”

Mr Jones is not alone – the study drew on the experience of 511 university applicants (largely 17-18 year olds), 1,029 university students, 1,014 early-career professionals and 1,002 later career professionals.

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It found that 30% of university students, 29% of university applicants, and 25% of professionals reported having been mocked, criticised or singled out in education or work settings due to their accents.

‘I don’t hear my accent when I watch videos of scientists giving talks’

Among university applicants and students, those from the North of England are most likely to see their accent as a barrier to success – 29% of university applicants and 41% of students from the north, compared to 10% and 19% from those in the south excluding London.

A student from Derbyshire told the survey: “I am at medical school and very few doctors I have met have regional accents”.

A Liverpool student said: “I don’t hear my accent when I watch videos of scientists giving talks and I don’t hear my accent from lecturers in the field. I feel as though my work won’t be taken seriously if I don’t change my accent.”

A student from Newcastle said: “At interviews, I remember one boy from London asking a large group of people if they could “actually understand [my] accent”, which was pretty awful and not a nice first impression of university.”

Experiences of people with different accents

Black Country: “For a couple of weeks, I did have a group of other students mimic an extreme version of a Black Country accent every time I spoke (about anything).”

Liverpool: “In a work context I was told ‘Ha, you’re not a typical civil servant, are you?'”

Stoke-on-Trent: “My accent and its depiction in national media is very heavily related to social class and social deprivation. It is an accent that makes people sound ‘thick’ and ‘poor’ and these are enormous barriers, reinforced by the mainstream media and its depiction of places like Stoke-on- Trent and the people who live here.”

South London: “I felt as though in school people would be able to tell I was poor from the way I spoke so I changed the way that I spoke to try and sound less common.”

Newcastle: “A lot of times people mock my accent, but that doesn’t particularly bother me. At interviews, I remember one boy from London asking a large group of people if they could ‘actually understand [my] accent’, which was pretty awful and not a nice first impression of university.”

‘Hierarchy of accent prestige is entrenched in British society’

Among those in senior managerial roles from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, 21% were worried their accent could affect their ability to succeed, compared to 12% from wealthier families.

Some 29% of senior managers from working-class families also said they had been mocked in the workplace for their accent, versus 22% from a better-off background.

The report said employers should try to have a range of accents within their organisation, and that action should be taken to tackle accent bias.

Sir Peter Lampl, founder and chairman of the Sutton Trust and chairman of the Education Endowment Foundation, said: “It is disgraceful that people are mocked, criticised or singled out for their accents throughout their education, work and social lives.

“A hierarchy of accent prestige is entrenched in British society with BBC English being the dominant accent of those in positions of authority.”

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Police search for missing sisters last seen three days ago near Aberdeen river

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Police search for missing sisters last seen three days ago near Aberdeen river

Specialist search teams, police dogs and divers have been dispatched to find two sisters who vanished in Aberdeen three days ago.

Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV in the city’s Market Street at Victoria Bridge at about 2.12am on Tuesday.

The siblings were captured crossing the bridge and turning right onto a footpath next to the River Dee in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club.

Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Image:
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland

Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Image:
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland

Police Scotland has launched a major search and said it is carrying out “extensive inquires” in an effort to find the women.

Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Local officers, led by specialist search advisors, are being assisted by resources including police dogs and our marine unit.”

Aberdeenshire Drone Services told Sky News it has offered to help in the search and is waiting to hear back from Police Scotland.

The Huszti sisters. Pic: Police Scotland
Image:
CCTV of the sisters. Pic: Police Scotland

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The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.

Police said the Torry side of Victoria Bridge where the sisters were last seen contains many commercial and industrial units, with searches taking place in the vicinity.

The force urged businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review CCTV footage recorded in the early hours of Tuesday in case it captured anything of significance.

Drivers with relevant dashcam footage are also urged to come forward.

CI Bruce added: “We are continuing to speak to people who know Eliza and Henrietta and we urge anyone who has seen them or who has any information regarding their whereabouts to please contact 101.”

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Britain’s gas storage levels ‘concerningly low’ after cold snap, says owner of British Gas

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Britain's gas storage levels 'concerningly low' after cold snap, says owner of British Gas

Britain’s gas storage levels are “concerningly low” with less than a week of demand in store, the operator of the country’s largest gas storage site said on Friday.

Plunging temperatures and high demand for gas-fired power stations are the main factors behind the low levels, Centrica said.

The UK is heavily reliant on gas for its home heating and also uses a significant amount for electricity generation.

As of the 9th of January 2025, UK storage sites are 26% lower than last year’s inventory at the same time, leaving them around half full,” Centrica said.

“This means the UK has less than a week of gas demand in store.”

The firm’s Rough gas storage site, a depleted field off England’s east coast, makes up around half of the country’s gas storage capacity.

Gas storage was already lower than usual heading into December as a result of the early onset of winter.

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Combined with stubbornly high gas prices, this has meant it has been more difficult to top up storage over Christmas.

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UK’s first taxpayer-funded injection room to open in radical move to tackle drugs epidemic

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UK's first taxpayer-funded injection room to open in radical move to tackle drugs epidemic

Glasgow has been a city crying out for solutions to a devastating drugs epidemic that is ravaging people hooked on deadly narcotics. 

We have spent time with vulnerable addicts in recent months and witnessed first-hand the dirty, dangerous street corners and back alleys where they would inject their £10 heroin hit, not knowing – or, in many cases, not caring – whether that would be the moment they die.

“Dying would be better than this life,” one man told me.

It was a grim insight into the daily reality of life in the capital of Europe’s drug death crisis.

Scotland has a stubborn addiction to substances spanning generations. Politicians of all persuasions have failed to properly get a grip of the emergency.

But there is a new concept in town.

From Monday, a taxpayer-funded unit is allowing addicts to bring their own heroin and cocaine and inject it while NHS medical teams supervise.

A dirty needle thrown less than 100 metres from the new injection centre
Image:
A dirty needle thrown less than 100 metres from the new injection centre

It may be a UK-first but it is a regular feature in some other major European cities that have claimed high success rates in saving lives.

Glasgow has looked on with envy at these other models.

One supermarket car park less than a hundred metres from this new facility is a perfect illustration of the problem. An area littered with dirty needles and paraphernalia. A minefield where one wrong step risks contracting a nasty disease.

Drugs paraphernalia in a supermarket car park in Glasgow, near the new facility
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Drugs paraphernalia in a supermarket car park in Glasgow, near the new facility

It is estimated hundreds of users inject heroin in public places in Glasgow every week. HIV has been rife.

The new building, which will be open from 9am until 9pm 365 days a year, includes bays where clean needles are provided as part of a persuasive tactic to lure addicts indoors in a controlled environment.

There is a welcome area where people will check in before being invited into one of eight bays. The room is clinical, covered in mirrors, with a row of small medical bins.

Clean needles are provided to lure addicts to inject in a controlled environment
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Clean needles are provided to lure addicts to inject in a controlled environment

One of the eight bays users can inject in
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There are eight bays users can inject in

We were shown the aftercare area where users will relax after their hit in the company of housing and social workers.

The idea is controversial and not cheap – £2.3m has been ring-fenced every year.

The aftercare area
Image:
The aftercare area

Read more: ‘Dying would be better than my £1,000 a month heroin addiction’

Authorities in the city first floated a ‘safer drug consumption room’ in 2016. It failed to get off the ground as the UK Home Office under the Conservatives said they would not allow people to break the law to feed habits.

The usual wrangle between Edinburgh and London continued for years with Downing Street suggesting Scotland could, if it wanted, use its discretion to allow these injecting rooms to go ahead.

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The stalemate ended when Scotland’s most senior prosecutor issued a landmark decision that it would not be in the public interest to arrest those using such a facility.

One expert has told me this new concept is unlikely to lead to an overall reduction in deaths across Scotland. Another described it as an expensive vanity project. Supporters clearly disagree.

The question is what does success look like?

The big test will be if there is a spike in crime around the building and how it will work alongside law enforcement given drug dealers know exactly where to find their clients now.

It is not disputed this is a radical approach – and other cities across Britain will be watching closely.

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