'£315m cost of holiday sickness'

Holiday excesses are leaving workers so unfit to return to work they could cost British business up to £315 million a year in sick leave, according to a survey out today.

In London and the South-East, more than one in five workers say they have taken a "sickie" to recover from their holiday, while 59 per cent of the 1,000 adults questioned admitted they felt more tired after their break than before they went away.

The main reasons were lack of sleep, taking part in demanding sports, heat exhaustion, jetlag and overindulging in food and drink.