IT was staring out of my screen as soon as I switched on my computer. “Northern folk are officially dirtier than southerners”.

Dr Val Curtis of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicines has conducted “scientific” research and was ‘astonished to find hand hygiene worsened with every step taken further north.’ (AOL article).

Out of 409 samples from hands all over the country, 113 were found to contain bacteria most commonly found in faeces Enterrococci 22 per cent escherichia coli (nine per cent).

How scientific was the sample-taking? Was it in a laboratory under controlled conditions? Of course not, samples were taken from people waiting in bus queues in London Euston, Birmingham New Street, Cardiff Central and Liverpool Lime Street.

Was there any control over what the people did with their hands prior to testing? No! Were samples taken from street furniture in the immediate vicinity? No! Could the survey provide an adequate number of donors to make a scientific sampling feasible? No! A reasonable sample number under better conditions would be about 1,500. Were the donors questioned as to how long it was since they went to the loo or washed their hands?

So, we do not know whether there were sources of bacteria in the area where the samples were taken. We do not know whether toilet facilities are more hygienic in some places than others.

Is it possible to conclude that people in the north are any dirtier than those in the south? No!

The best that can be said is that the results show a correlation between bacteria and geography. The research, as described, could hardly be said to be scientific.

LIONEL ANTHONY (via email).