A gym in Medway is bidding to open 24/7 so that it can better meet the needs of its customers.

That’s right – rather than 24-hour licences and bars open until the wee small hours, our busy lifestyles and flexible working schedules now mean it’s the running machine we crave late on a Sunday.

While some may run off the Sunday Scaries, the night before school and work normally has me running to the corner shop in search of supplies for Monday’s packed lunches.

With little more than leftover roast dinner or a stale end of baguette to offer the kids, and with the supermarket long since closed, I pay the price for any lack of organisation as I haemorrhage the best part of day’s wages on a small basket of items.

But if it’s permissible to enter the gym at 8pm on a Sunday – or even the pub – why does the law prevent us from doing a food shop at a more budget-friendly supermarket?

Is it time to change Sunday trading hours?

Last year London businesses called for a rethink of the rules – arguing that as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world it made no commercial sense to have shops in the West End and Knightsbridge closed by 4pm or 5pm over the weekend.

While visitors to other big cities – they claimed - could shop long into the night, London was pulling the shutters down at a time when the economy could little afford to turn business away.

Sunday trading rules date back to the Sunday Fares Act of 1488, when the day was traditionally one of rest. This changed slightly in 1994 when the Sunday Trading Act allowed small shops to open for as long as they wanted on Sunday, but limited larger ones to six hours.

There was an argument this would protect smaller convenience shops.

But since supermarkets now dominate this market too, the rules make little sense.

And do we not now need to give high streets a chance against online retailers where you can shop at 7pm on a Sunday?

If gyms, restaurants, pubs, cinemas, bowling alleys and theatres can all open on a Sunday evening, on what basis are we keeping shops closed?

And are they really closed and staff getting a break? Because drive past a supermarket on a Sunday evening and plenty of workers seem to be inside – and you can still get an online grocery delivery into the night.

Obviously I write this as someone not working in retail. I would also argue any change to the law need only extend things by a few hours, 7pm or 8pm perhaps? And of course continue to protect the likes of Christmas Day, Easter Sunday and the new post-pandemic trend for Boxing Day too, maybe?

In 2012, restrictions were relaxed for eight consecutive weekends to suit the London Olympic and Paralympic games.

Perhaps it’s time to liberate these outdated rules once and for all?