With days getting a lot shorter with dark mornings and nights it is clear that the summer months are well behind us.

To combat this, it means the clocks go back across the UK this weekend giving us an extra hour of sunlight as we approach winter.

Here is everything you need to know about clock changes in the UK this year.

When will the clocks go back in October?

The clocks will change on Sunday, October 31, 2021 in the early hours of the morning. 

The change will officially take effect at 2am on Sunday morning.

It means we will gain an extra hour in bed next weekend when the clocks go back an hour.

Do I need to change the clocks myself?

In the majority of cases, the days of manually changing your clocks are long gone. 

Any device connected to the internet such as smartphones, televisions, laptops and tablets will change automatically.

However - be careful - alarm clocks, car radios and other devices not connected to the internet will need to be adjusted manually.

To avoid confusion over the time, there is a simple saying to remember when to change your clock forward or back: “spring forward, fall back”.

Why do clocks change in the UK?

The idea of moving the clocks backwards and forwards was invented by a New Zealand entomologist named George Vincent Hudson in 1895.

It was first introduced in the UK in 1916 during the First World War. This was to save on coal usage during the war and take full advantage of natural light.