Hucknall: 'Mocking redheads is racist'

Mick Hucknall has claimed that mocking ginger-haired people is a form of racism.

The Simply Red singer, who was raised in Birmingham, said he has no time for those who poke fun at redheads or people with regional accents.

He told the Sunday Mercury: "When it comes to name calling for being ginger or for the way you talk, then that's simple bullying. And unfortunately I think bullying is a very English characteristic.

"It worries me to think how seven-year-olds running around a playground could get bullied just for the colour of their hair. It never bothered me as a kid, but when you look at it, it's very sinister and sad."

He added: "It's like racism, not the same but the principle is similar. It has become acceptable to mock people for the colour of their hair or the way they talk and it saddens me that this gets perpetuated from generation to generation."

A recent study claimed West Midlanders should ditch their accents if they want to be a success.