GOOD DAY, there appears to be a problem at the fabric factory.

Or should it be: Eh up, there's trouble at t'mill?

The Yorkshire accent is recognisable across the world, with famous exponents in sport, broadcasting and almost every sphere of public life.

But almost half the people surveyed in the White Rose county for a new poll say they wish they had another accent - at least temporarily.

More than 5,000 people across the country were quizzed for the BBC poll about their attitudes to dialect, accent and the way we speak.

Yorkshire folk said they believed Scottish film star Sean Connery and veteran newsreader Trevor McDonald had the nicest voices, while Northern Irish politician Ian Paisley's grating bellow propped up the list.

Just under half of Yorkshire people said they changed their accent when meeting someone for the first time.

But Kirklees Mayor Clr Mary Harkin said she was proud of her accent.

She added: "I'm also very interested in dialect. There are often different words or phrases in places only miles apart.

"Regional accents and dialogue distinguish areas and make life more interesting."

Malaysian-born painter Ashley Jackson didn't end up in Huddersfield until he was 10, moving to Barnsley a year later.

He said: "I've always been proud of being brought up in Barnsley.

"I've got quite a strong accent, so when you are speaking to people on radio or TV you can't just go `sithee'.

"I'm a great believer in regional dialects, whether they are Geordie, southern, Midlands, whatever.

"We are losing traditions quickly and we don't need to lose our historic identity."

Mike Shaw, who writes the Examiner's Bill o' Ben's Yorkshire dialect column, said: "The Yorkshire dialect is very interesting and can vary from district to district, with differences occurring within a couple of miles.

"On the South Yorkshire side of Huddersfield, where they look to Barnsley and Sheffield, there are a lot of differences between there and the Lancashire-facing side of Huddersfield," said Mike.