If you ever watch television dramas set before 1960 you'll know that up prior to that date all working class women - and especially Scousers - spent exactly 70% of their time scrubbing the front steps. After 1960, the availability of free school milk and cheap paperback books meant that front step scrubbing markedly decreased, and a swathe of Liverpudlian women discovered they could walk erect. But we're still - apparently - obsessed with keeping up with the Joneses. A survey by fish4homes reveals 51% of DIYers are motivated by neighbourly competition, compared to a mere 14% concerned with safeguarding or increasing the value of their property. Londoners, however, are the least concerned with appearances, spending an average of just 30 minutes a week on their frontage.

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