When do the clocks change in the UK in 2026? 25 October, an hour back

In 2026 the clocks in the United Kingdom go back one hour overnight from Saturday 24 to Sunday 25 October. British Summer Time ends and the country returns to Greenwich Mean Time until spring. Here is what actually happens to the night, which clocks you have to change yourself, why pedestrians are at the greatest risk for the next four weeks, and what changes for calls home.

When do the clocks change in the UK in 2026?

Overnight on Sunday 25 October 2026. Under the rule published on GOV.UK, the clocks go back one hour at 02:00 on the last Sunday in October. At two in the morning the time returns to one — the night is an hour longer, and you get an extra hour in bed.

From that point Britain runs on Greenwich Mean Time until the end of March.

Do the clocks go forward or back, and what happens to the evenings?

Back. The real consequence is not the extra hour of sleep but the evenings, which get dark immediately. Mornings are lighter for a week or two, but from Monday the journey home from work is in the dark. For many newcomers this is the hardest part of the British autumn: you leave the office and it is night outside.

Earlier darkness means lights and heating come on earlier, and that shows up on the bill. Our guide to what changed in energy bills on 1 October explains how it is made up.

Which clocks change themselves, and which do you have to do by hand?

Your phone, computer, tablet, smartwatch and TV box take the time from the network and change themselves. Everything that keeps its own time needs doing by hand: the oven and microwave, the clock in the car (many models cannot do it themselves), wall and wrist watches, the alarm clock by the bed, and older heating timers.

Check the heating timer in particular. If it is not changed, the house starts warming an hour later than you expect, the morning is cold — and you end up investigating the boiler rather than the clock.

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Why do collisions rise after the clocks go back?

Because an hour of darkness moves onto the evening rush, when people are coming home from work and children from school. The effect has been measured. According to the research summary from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), in the four weeks after the clocks go back there are 10 per cent more collisions killing or injuring a pedestrian. On non-built-up roads evening injury collisions run about 50 per cent higher, and fatal and serious ones about twice as high.

The worst affected are the least protected: children, older people, cyclists and motorcyclists. The same summary estimates that lighter evenings would save 70 to 80 lives and 190 to 200 serious casualties a year.

The practical conclusion is simple. For the next month cross the road with more care than usual; children and cyclists need reflectors and working lights. Drivers should clean the windscreen and headlights — in low light, dirty glass works like frosted film.

Should you take vitamin D in autumn and winter in Britain?

Yes, and this is official advice rather than something off the internet. The NHS advises everyone, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, to consider a daily supplement of 10 micrograms of vitamin D through the autumn and winter: from October to March the British sun is too low for skin to make it.

A year-round supplement is advised for people who are rarely outdoors, people who usually wear clothes covering most of their skin, and people with dark skin from African, African-Caribbean or South Asian backgrounds. Babies under one need 8.5 to 10 micrograms and children aged one to four need 10 micrograms, all year.

What changes for calls home?

The gap widens by an hour with countries that do not change their clocks. Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Moldova have no seasonal change, so from 25 October London is three hours behind Moscow rather than two. The familiar "I'll ring at eight your time" lands an hour later than you think — and the first week is when relatives start asking why you are calling in the middle of the night.

When do the clocks go forward again?

On the last Sunday in March at 01:00 — that is 28 March 2027, forward this time. The night will be an hour shorter, and the evenings light again.

Will the clock change be scrapped?

The argument has run for years, and those casualty figures are the strongest card for the people who want it gone. But nothing has been decided: the change stands, and both dates are in the official calendar. If that changes it will be a news story of its own; for now, plan around the current rules.

One consolation: long dark evenings are the best time of year for the sky. We have a guide to what is visible above Britain this autumn and when to look.