The end of summer: why do the clocks go back in October? | Company

Britain will enjoy an extra hour in bed when clocks go back at 2am on Sunday and British Summer Time officially ends.

Of course, if you're a night worker, your shift this weekend will drag on a bit, and if you have kids or pets, it probably won't make a difference.

Popular myths claim that adjusting the clocks was intended to benefit farmers or improve road safety for early morning commuters. However, this practice dates back more than 100 years, when the Daylight Saving Time Act was introduced in 1916 after a successful campaign by developer William Willett.

Willet wanted to set the clocks back 80 minutes in 20-minute weekly increments on Sundays in September and vice versa in April. The move was made during World War I to save fuel and has not changed since then, although brighter mornings and longer evenings provide no real benefit.

Proponents of changing clocks argue that daylight in the morning increases productivity. However, this is undermined by the fact that it can decrease by around 20% in the summer months, when there is an average of seven hours more daylight compared to winter.

Those who are against turning the clocks forward and back point to the disruption of sleep patterns, which can lead to health problems.

It's also worth remembering that what October brings in an extra hour of sleep, March takes away when the clocks go forward.

It doesn't look like this situation is going to end soon.

In March 2019, the European Parliament abolished the time change and gave member states the opportunity to decide which daylight zone they want to stay in. However, the reform has been temporarily put on hold and Britain shows no signs of letting the clock stand still.