Every year the Government tells us to get up an hour early for work and open our shops businesses or factories an hour earlier than we have a mind to. I wonder why we put up with this?

Surely, these days we open our shops and offices when we want, don’t we?

Schools are, of course, a different matter. Getting children in and out of school safely is of paramount importance and should preferably be done in daylight.

The times the Government and local authorities open their buildings or deliver services to the public is also a matter for them.

But why now, in this day and age, extend this to the rest of us? Surely these are rules for a bygone age?

Nigel F Boddy former Brighton resident now living in Darlington, Co Durham