By Graeme Cleland

DUNDEE IS in the running to be named Britain’s sexiest city in a national poll.

The City of Discovery is competing for the accolade along with regional rivals Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness in the 2006 SexyintheCity competition run by Young Persons Railcard.

Eighteen to 25-year-olds across the UK will be asked to choose cities they think have the best looking men and women by going to www.sexyinthecity.co.uk, sending in their pictures by mobile phone and voting for their favourite choices by text.

Last year Leeds took the crown—but what do people living and working in Dundee think of its chances of success this time around?

The Courier put the question to people at the German Market in City Square yesterday in a bid to find out whether Dundee has what it takes in the sexy stakes.

Marta Kozak (36) from Krakow, Poland, has been impressed by Dundonian men while working in the city.

“They look different from men back home, but they are nice. They are also very friendly compared to men in England and Wales,” she said.

Her friend Andreas Roguscewski (24), who is also Polish, has been charmed by the ladies of Dundee.

“They are very good looking. I have been to nightclubs in town and although my English is not great they seem to like helping me to learn,” he said.

However, some local lads disagreed with Andreas and said they saw more good-looking people in Scotland’s other major cities.

Chris Rennie (23), who is from Dundee but studies in Edinburgh, definitely thought there were “classier” women in the capital.

Mark Walker (29) believed the females in Glasgow would be at the top of his list.

“They seem to take care of themselves a bit more and dress up even if they are just going to the shops,” he said.

“Also, it’s a bit more multi-cultural so you see more different looking women, which I think is good,” he added.

However Dundee certainly seems to have more lookers than its nearest rival Aberdeen, if two ladies from Stonehaven are to be believed.

They were quite taken by the male shop assistants who served them in the Overgate Centre.

“It’s only my second time visiting Dundee but the guy working in Next was very attractive,” said Edna Ross.

Her shopping buddy Doreen Garrow also paid a compliment to the sartorial elegance of Dundonians.

“They seem to be more fashionable here than up the road, and also friendlier than in Aberdeen.

“There were a lot of folk who weren’t so good looking, too, but wherever you go there is going to be some of both I suppose,” she added.

Less impressed by the maidens of Dundee was Christen Gotze (21) from Chemnitz in the east of Germany.

He felt that the women of his hometown were better looking, and that Dundee’s relatively small size counted against it when compared to other cities in Britain.

“The ladies here are nice but there are more better looking girls in the likes of Liverpool and Manchester,” he declared.

The men of Dundee were also given the thumbs down from Northern Irish pair Jacinta McMullen (28) and Joanne Nicholas (24).

They reckoned the talent was far better in their home towns of Armagh and Derry respectively, and felt that most good-looking guys they encountered in Dundee were not actually from the city.

“We meet a lot of students and they tend to be from elsewhere in Scotland or England or from abroad,” explained Joanne.

“I think Leeds definitely has a lot of good-looking people, so I’m not surprised it won last time,” she added.

The first round of voting for SexyintheCity 2006 will be open from now until August 13, with the top two cities from each region of the UK going on to the national final.

The overall winner is announced on August 31.

Entrants’ photos along with details of their hometown should be sent to 07979 005555 and those wishing to register their vote can log on at www.sexyinthecity.co.uk