Just one in five office staff returned to their desk last month, new research ...

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Fewer than one in five workers have returned to their offices since 'Freedom Day' last month, according to research.

However, the same data suggests Britons are keener to venture back into town centres to socialise – though overall footfall still remains half that of pre-pandemic levels.

The research is more evidence of the reluctance of many to get back to the office after well over a year of working from home.

Restrictions were eased on July 19 but the Centre for Cities think-tank found only 18 per cent of staff in the 31 largest cities had returned to their city centre workplace a week later. In London, only 15 per cent of workers were back in the week starting July 26.

Yet Brighton saw a six percentage point increase – with almost half of workers (49 per cent) back in the office at the end of last month, compared with the pre-pandemic figure.

The findings, based on anonymised mobile phone data, suggest Britons are keener to return to city centres at night – with average footfall now back at 59 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

Night-time footfall in London stands at just 47 per cent, but towns and cities in the North, such as Sunderland at 84 per cent, have seen a greater bounce back. Only Bournemouth and Blackpool – popular tourist destinations – have recovered overall to their pre-pandemic levels.

Centre for Cities' director of policy and research Paul Swinney said: 'People's eagerness, particularly in cities in the North and Midlands, to go out and socialise has been a lifeline for many businesses in the night-time economy.

'But a reluctance to head back to the office in our largest and most economically important cities means that people in the so-called 'sandwich economy' that caters to city centre office workers face an uncertain future as we get closer to the end of the furlough scheme in September.'