Four in 10 of the Dutch would like to switch to permanent winter time which means it would get dark earlier in the summer, according to a snap poll of 1,800 people by the home affairs ministry.

Home affairs minister Kajsa Ollongren commissioned the poll following the call by European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker for an end to the ritual changing of the clock in spring and autumn.

Juncker said in September that a poll of 4.6 million Europeans showed ‘the people want’ an end to changing the clocks ‘and we shall make sure it happens’.

In the Dutch poll, 41% said they would prefer permanent winter time, 25% would like permanent summer time and 25% wanted no change to the current system.

At the end of October it became clear that there could be no change in the current system until 2021 at the earliest.There are currently three time zones within the EU.