The heartland of this variety still lies by the banks of the Thames and its estuary, but it seems to be the most influential accent in the south-east of England. Estuary English has spread northwards to Norwich and westwards to Cornwall, with the result that it is now spoken south of a line from the Wash to the Avon . On the level of phonemes, Estuary English is a mixture of 'London' and general R.P. forms. Time off in lieu. For many speakers lieu and loo are now homophones.
Frequent use is made of basically .
In the context of offers, There you go. - rather than the more standard Here you are. This is heard as far north as Harrogate. Typically, when joining the school, a minority of the children will speak R.P. and the majority the local accent. Mix these pupils together from the ages of eleven to sixteen or eighteen. Because peer group pressure is a particularly powerful force for the age group, a large number of the pupils in the southern half of England will leave school as Estuary speakers.