ALMOST five million southerners (15 per cent) have never visited the north at all, while 2.3 million northerners - one in ten - have never ventured south in their entire lives, a new report reveals.

Hotel chain Travelodge found that the northern city most visited by southerners is Manchester (30 per cent), however just 17 per cent of southerners have visited Newcastle, and only one in five have visited Liverpool (22 per cent).

While three-quarters of northerners have travelled to London, fewer than one in five have visited southern cities such as Southampton.

Almost two-thirds of northerners are put off visiting the south more often by the belief that southerners are snobs, while just over half believe they are arrogant, with hardly any decent pubs.

On the other hand though, southerners (13%) believe northerners are unfashionable and lacking a sense of style.

Almost two thirds are put off from venturing North because they believe it is bleak and unsophisticated and the people are narrow minded.

They also believe there is nothing worth seeing in the North that compares to what we have down South.

When it came to the people themselves, most Southerners credited their northern cousins with having a good sense of humour, and hard working ethic and a cheery outlook.

Northerners were not quite so kind.

But rather than just call southerners arrogant snobs, they did say people in the South are confident, stylish and intelligent.

Stereotypes are alive and kicking, with the north being associated with the Full Monty, mining villages and black pudding.

The South on the other hand conjured up images of Essex girls, pinstripe suits and footballers' wives.

TV soaps such as Coronation Street, Emmerdale and EastEnders are blamed most for perceptions of life and people in the north and south.