Campaigners call for extra daylight

Pressure is growing for a change to the clocks to give another hour of daylight in the evenings throughout the year, as the UK switched to British Summer Time.

Climate change campaigners added their voices to calls for the UK to change from the current arrangement of being on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in the winter and GMT+1 in the summer to GMT+1 in the winter and GMT+2 in spring and summer.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) said that while the current arrangement was not being changed, it continued to listen to views and evidence put to it.

Meanwhile Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw said the change would be "good for business, good for tourism, good for the environment, improve safety and increase people's sense of well-being".

Climate change campaigners 10:10 said that if the change suggested in its Lighter Later campaign was implemented the entire country would, overnight, be one step closer to a 10% reduction in its carbon emissions, "as well as happier, healthier and better off".

The founder of the group, Franny Armstrong, who is also director of the climate change blockbuster The Age Of Stupid, said: "Hands up who doesn't want our country to be safer, lighter, more prosperous and with less pollution? And who doesn't want to save money on their electricity bills without lifting a finger?"

The organisation claimed that the change would save almost half a million tonnes of CO2 each year, which was equivalent to taking 185,000 cars off the road permanently.

In addition, it could save more than 100 fatalities on the nation's roads each year, consumers and businesses would use less energy, thus saving money, and 60,000 to 80,000 jobs would be created through increased leisure and tourism, bringing an extra £2.5-3.5 billion into the economy each year.

The organisation plans to deliver a letter to the newly-elected Prime Minister asking for a commitment to a three-year trial by the time the clocks change again in October.

A BIS spokeswoman said: "We know British Summer Time is a subject where people have differing views. The current practice of changing the clocks is intended to make the best use of the available daylight and while this arrangement is not being changed, we continue to listen to those views and any evidence when it is presented to us."