The campaigners conducted the research by walking into branches of each large retail group and asking staff why their doors were wide open.

The proposal comes as figures suggest that staff at redbrick universities are spending less time teaching and more time conducting research.

But now, in response to local pollution and global warming, the city is looking to blaze a trail again by conducting research into hydrogen-fuelled buses.

Now academics are conducting research into the issue at two schools as part of a three-year experiment into social and emotional contagion.

The research was conducted before a bicentenary exhibition.