mallyh - Apologies if I gave offence - certainly none intended.
I am from Stoke-on-Trent, which does not have the most attractive local accent by any means - although for some reason I do not have it, I have no idea why not. My accent is sufficiently neutral that people rarely guess where I live from the sound of my speech.
I do enjoy a lot of accents - I don't mind Estuary English especially, it's just the 'posh' south accent that I find grates a little, but it really is not a big deal.