Fall back tonight! Why do the clocks change?

We're all familiar with the 'spring forward, fall back saying', but why do we change our clocks here? Is it actually beneficial?

The days are getting shorter and winter is drawing in. The last Sunday of October marks the day that our clocks change, and at 2 am on Sunday 27th October, they will jump back one hour.

We gain one extra hour in bed, so it's great news for most of us, except those who will be working the night shift.

The key reason we use 'Daylight Saving Time' is so that we get the most out of our daylight. We gain lighter mornings as we will get up an hour earlier, but our evenings will be darker earlier.

This system has been in place since 1971, but was first introduced by the German government in 1916 during the first World War as means to save electricity.

However, similar ideas were introduced as early as the late 1800s, and with Coldplay's Chris Martin's great grandfather also being known to propose it in 1907.

In 2019, the European parliament voted to scrap the change. However the change has not yet been implemented and also no longer applies to the UK post-Brexit.

So, don't forget to change your clocks and whether you like the concept or not, there's unfortunately just no avoiding the colder and darker months.