THE FOLK of East Lancashire generally accept they may not as cool as their city counterparts in Manchester and Leeds.

But they more than make up for it with a fierce pride of their roots, an ability to graft and the tendency to find humour in any situation.

They're pretty fond of their quirks and little oddities too.

So it didn't surprise me to hear last week that there are more Nutters in East Lancashire than anywhere in the world.

Not nutters as in crazed loons - although I could make a good case for this working in Blackburn town centre - but folk with the surname Nutter.

A new survey has found while the owners of embarrassing surnames, including Bottom, Smellie and Pigg are falling over themselves to change their name by deed poll, East Lancashire's Nutters love their name.

Good on them.

But while it's important to teach our children to be proud of their roots, it's important to remind them they are no better or worse than others.

I was disgusted by the story of a 42-year-old computer consultant beaten until bloody and swollen - and all for "talking posh".

The man stepped in after three yobs began shouting abuse at his step-daughter and was viciously turned on because his London accent apparently made him sound like a "posh snob".

They repeatedly punched and kicked him in the face, fracturing both his cheek bones and breaking his finger, before walking off laughing.

The victim himself summed it up perfectly when he said: "I have the right to live in any town just as much as the next man and should not be made to be afraid of walking the streets or speaking differently."

He's right. Inverted snobbery is no better because it was the posh man who got the beating. It's exactly the same as smashing someone's face in for being common. And when the mocking of "posh snobs" turns to violence it is no better than racism.

In other news this week, welcome home to bricklayer Adam Wood who finally made it back to England after being stranded in San Antonio when he was left paralysed in a holiday accident with no travel insurance.

But was I the only one who thought it slightly off-beat that his girlfriend staged a bikini car wash to help raise the £10,000 for his return?

More misheard lyrics. The real lyrics of the Beatles classic are: "Strawberry Fields Forever" misheard as: "Strawberry Fields for Trevor".