Bosses in Kent are calling for the Government to give them a little bit of sunshine by keeping watches on British Summer Time.

The clocks go back an hour on Sunday to Greenwich Mean Time, meaning daytime ends an hour earlier as the longer nights draw in.

However, business people in a variety of sectors, say it is time to scrap changing the clocks in the run up to Christmas to give the Kent economy a vital boost.

Eddie Kemsley, chief executive of Dreamland amusement park in Margate, sits on the management committee of the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA).

The organisation estimated in 2011 that lighter evenings would increase tourism earnings by up to £3.5 billion nationally.

Mrs Kemsley said: “It’s a big issue in the tourism industry. Daylight saving is something we have been campaigning on for years.

“It has a major impact on tourism, especially on attractions which get more school visits. When it gets dark from 3pm it is hard to attract children.

“We have been campaigning at a parliamentary level. It is something I feel very strongly about.

“Keeping British Summer Time stretches out the business day. Tourist attractions can benefit from an extra hour at the end of the day.”

“I can understand there are a lot of issues around it but when it is lighter in the morning fewer people benefit..." - Paul Barrett, Canterbury 4 Business

The benefits of keeping the clocks as they are could be far reaching.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge found an extra daily hour of sunlight in winter could save the country £485 million each year in electricity bills.

It would also bring the UK in line with Central European Time, which would make life easier for cross-Channel businesses.

Paul Barrett, managing director of car dealership Barretts Group in Canterbury and Ashford, talks to a variety of traders as chairman of Canterbury 4 Business (C4B).

He said: “More daylight hours would be beneficial to a place like Canterbury, which has a cafe culture and a lot of restaurants.

“In the UK, we would benefit from being on Central European Time because it would give us extra daylight hours in the evening in winter.

“I can understand there are a lot of issues around that but when it is lighter in the morning fewer people benefit.

“I don’t think it would make a blind bit of difference to me selling cars but when you look at somewhere like Canterbury where there is a lot of winter tourist trade it would benefit from additional daylight in the afternoon.

“Also, it must be a good thing to put us on the same time if your company regularly travels to and from Europe.”

Farming lobbies have long campaigned against any change to the law, with many rural businesses in Northern Scotland saying the extra hour in the morning is vital when daylight is at a premium.

Farmers in Kent do not appear to share the view.

George Jessel farms wheat and oilseed rape together with a beef and sheep enterprise on more than 1,000 acres in Brabourne, near Ashford. He was chairman of Kent County Agricultural Society for six years.

He said: “It doesn’t affect the farm world. I would prefer an extra hour in the evening. We all get more done if there is more light in the afternoon.

“We need more daylight to conserve energy and to encourage tourism. Putting the clocks back has lost its importance.

“It’s quite an emotive subject. No one wants to upset the Scots and we don’t want to give them a reason to break up the UK.

“Practically speaking it is not worth breaking up the country over daylight saving.”