With both the Paralympic Games and the relaxation of the Sunday trading laws coming to an end yesterday, a new poll shows that almost half of shoppers support longer Sunday opening hours on a permanent basis.
In the survey commissioned by business law firm DWF, 45% said the recent temporary extension of Sunday trading hours should become permanent or that shops should be allowed to open whenever they want on a Sunday.

The debate over Sunday trading has been reignited by the decision to relax legislation for the duration of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Under normal circumstances, shops in England and Wales of more than 280 sq m (3,000 sq ft) can open for a maximum of six hours on a Sunday, and only between the hours of 10am and 6pm: in Scotland there is no restriction.

However, for the duration of the Games shops across the UK have been free to choose their own hours on Sundays, boosting speculation that it will lead to a permanent change.

DWF's survey of over 2,000 adults found that almost four in 10 people (39%) believe the Government will eventually introduce a permanent relaxation of Sunday shopping rules. Twenty-four per cent believe increased Sunday opening hours will provide a vital boost to the UK economy, and 22% say they would shop more on a Sunday if the change became permanent.

However, the research also discovered that while 82% of shoppers were aware of the relaxation of the rules only 24% of them have taken advantage of them.

Just 16% of those surveyed said shops should not be allowed to open at all on Sundays.