Daylight savings: Survey reveals what Britons really think about changing clocks

New research shows almost three in five people believe the twice-annual time change should be scrapped.

A survey of more than 100,000 people conducted by hotel chain Travelodge ahead of the end of British Summer Time this weekend found 57 per cent of respondents were against the practice.

The research revealed a clear divide in public preference: one in three respondents expressed a desire for permanent British Summer Time, favoring milder evenings.

By contrast, one in four respondents preferred lighter mornings and advocated permanent Greenwich Mean Time.

The survey also highlighted a broader issue; One in five people reported sleeping less than five hours a night, often citing stress or anxiety as the reason.

Every year on the last Sunday in October, the clocks go back one hour at 2am. This year this will happen on October 26th.

This shift marks the progression towards the darkest day of the year, known as the winter solstice, followed by the final sunrise.

As the UK approaches the winter solstice, sunrise is starting later and daily sunlight is decreasing.

December will see the sun rise as late as 8.06am and London will have less than eight hours of sunlight for much of the month.

Where did the idea come from?

The idea of ​​daylight saving in Britain was proposed by the builder William Willet in a pamphlet titled Waste of DaylightCirculating in 1907.

Mr. Willet, an avid horseman, said he came up with the concept when he noticed numerous drawn curtains while riding his horse one summer morning.

The Daylight Saving Time Act went into effect in 1916, stating that from spring through autumn, legal time would be one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

The law was passed during World War I, when the country needed to utilize as much daylight as possible to save coal.