Most Londoners would pull or have pulled a ‘sunshine sickie’ to enjoy the weather

Coming back to work with a sun tan may spoil your cover story (Picture: Getty Images)

This Sunday in the UK has been spent with one faction soaking up the sun, while the rest try to beat the sweltering heat any way they can.

After a weekend of barbecues, beer gardens, broken sleep and blasting fans, it’s also likely many will be planning to pull a sickie come Monday – especially those in the capital.

A recent survey has revealed 53% of Londoners would call in sick or have called in sick to enjoy the warm weather, a practice being called the ‘sunshine sickie’.

The top activities during a heatwave among those in London included spending time in the garden (34%), visiting parks (33%) and going to the beach (29%).

According to the research by peer-to-peer car sharing platform Turo, 46% of workers in Edinburgh and 45% in Manchester are up for skiving as temperatures climb.

Compared to the UK average of 39%, Scottish employees were most likely to take a sunshine sickie, with 43% claiming they have or would do so.

Londoners were most likely to pull a sunshine sickie (Picture: Getty Images)

Just a third of the Welsh workforce admitted to calling in sick to make the most of the summer, although two thirdsof respondents in Wales said they would actively avoid public transport if they were worried it would be too warm.

A whopping 75% of participants in London aimed to steer clear of the city’s tubes and buses on hot days, a decision that makes sense if you’ve ever experienced the Central Line at this time of year.

When it comes to hybrid working, 21% of London-based employees said that they’d be more likely to work from home if it was sunny, while 28% of remote staff have shirked work at points throughout the day to get outside and enjoy the weather.

One in eight of those surveyed in the capital even confessed to swapping their home desk for the pub – all well and good until your boss sees your pint in the Zoom meeting.

Xavier Collins, Vice President UK, Turo commented: ‘In the UK, the hot weather so rarely makes an appearance, that when it does, it’s no wonder people want to flock outside.

‘At Turo, we see huge peaks in demand for cars during summer, and especially hot weather spells, whether it’s people choosing to avoid sweltering public transport or take a spontaneous family trip to the coast.’

While we’re not here to judge, we have a small piece of advice for thoseplanning a sunshine sickie: ramp up the SPF and wear a hat, because nothing will blow your cover faster than a sun-kissed glow.

One in eight have even swapped their home office for the pub.