Enough energy to roast 4.4 million turkeys, microwave 268 million mince pies or power 350,000 Christmas tree lights for 240 hours each will be wasted by businesses over Christmas, according to a survey by Canon.

In other words, energy costing £8.66 million could go down the drain.

Canon's David Smith said:

"It's clear that some equipment needs to be left on over the Christmas period for security reasons but these amazing figures show that businesses that don’t turn off their PCs and printers are literally throwing money away as well as damaging the environment over the festive period.

"We have only looked at office equipment that is left in standby mode so imagine how much higher these figures could be if devices are left completely on."