People urged to getto know who theirneighbours are

AS police encourage people to keep an eye on their neighbours over the Christmas and New Year period a shocking report claims less than half of people under 50 know their neighbours by name.

The report, by Saga, claims that research conducted shows around 40% of under 50’s admit they don’t know their neighbours well enough to say hello, while one in five admit they only know their neighbours by sight and only 22% count their neighbours as good friends. Less than one in ten are likely to sit down with a neighbour for a cuppa and mince pie.

That is in sharp contrast to older generations with 45% of over 50s counting the people next door as good friends. The over 50s seem to be at the heart of neighbourliness, often lending a hand to take in parcels (94%), putting the bins out (58%) and watering the plants for their neighbours (37%).

The research also reveals that this is not the way people want it to be - a third of under 50s actually wish they could get to know their neighbours better.

Emma Soames, from Saga, said: “The over 50s are much better at neighbourliness: they feed pets, put out the rubbish and know their neighbour