A study carried out in New Zealand says people who spend long hours sitting at their desks are in danger of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT), where a blood clot forms which could travel to the heart, lungs or brain and can be fatal.

The condition is most often associated with long-haul flight passengers who do not have much space to stretch their legs.

However, the report found a third (34%) of a sample of 62 people admitted to hospital with DVT had spent long periods seated at their desks. This compared with 21% of the sample who had recently made a long-haul flight, Workplace Law reported.