CITY MP Christine Russell says her time at 'male dominated' Chester City Council prepared her for the chauvinists in the Houses of Parliament.

Mrs Russell tells of her life as a 'Blair Babe' in a survey which shows that female politicians endure 'shocking' levels of sexist abuse at the hands of their male counterparts.

Some 83 MPs, including Mrs Russell, gave their answers in 100 hours of taped interviews for the study Whose Secretary are You, Minister?

The study, by Birbeck College in London, looked at the achievements and experiences of Westminster women.

Complaints of sexist barracking in the Chamber, insults and patronising assumptions about women's abilities emerged from MPs of all parties.

The survey tells how some male MPs pretended to juggle imaginary breasts and jeered 'melons' as women made Commons speeches.

Although some MPs revealed the abuse they suffered, Mrs Russell says her previous life at Chester Town Hall taught her what to expect.

'I don't think I have suffered at the hands of male chauvinists at Westminster to the same extent of some of my colleagues. This is probably due to the fact that before they became MPs in 1997 they had worked in caring professions such as education and the health service where the workforce is predominantly women.

'I, however, was a little better prepared and had lots of experience working in male dominated environments, like the city council. I had an advantage over other women who were elected MPs in 1997 as I had lots of experience as a local politician.

'And because I was chosen from an open short-list, no-one has ever been able to criticise me.'

Despite a wider acceptance of female MPs these days, Mrs Russell says there is still room for improvement - especially in the Cabinet which only boasts three women.

'I find that most of the sexist behaviour comes from the Conservatives, especially young Tories who have had very little life experience of women, other than their nannies or domestic servants,' said Mrs Russell.

She said things have improved since 1997 but 'there is still some unacceptable macho behaviour'.

Mrs Russell put the debate to the test when she was the only female MP to sit on the All Party Football Group investigating the state of football's finances. She quizzed some of the game's big guns including former Football Association boss Mark Palios.

Asked whether some of her interviewees sniggered at her involvement, Mrs Russell said: 'You get that with certain people in the football world, but once they realise you know what they're talking about they are OK.'

Mrs Russell added: 'I have had no difficulty getting issues on the agenda that I care deeply about, like affordable housing and homelessness. No-one has turned round to me and said 'They are women's issues'.