Fewer people in the city pretend to be on their smartphones to avoid striking up a conversation with a stranger, according to the latest research.

Telecoms firm Daisy Group found that people in Oxford were most likely to have a chat with a stranger, and as a result said Oxford was the friendliest city in England.

On average, 24 per cent of people in England admitted avoiding conversations by pretending to be on their mobile phones, according to the firm’s research. Just 12 per cent of people in Oxford admitted the trick.

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