Brits believe the winter blues are official – with eight in ten admitting they ‘hate’ the coldest season.

And with the run-up to Christmas now in full-swing, almost half (49%) are already counting down the days until Spring starts.

Exactly 81% revealed they resent winter, with dark mornings (49%), slipping on ice (44%), having a cold face (41%), runny nose (38%) and paying the heating bills (34%) considered the worst things about the season.

Just under a third believe defrosting the car in a hurry (32%) and freezing hands (32%) are the bleakest aspects of this time of year, with a similar number (31%) admitting they cannot stand getting out of a warm bed in the morning when the house is cold.

A further quarter (25%) hate constantly having chapped lips, while the frustration of trying to unlock your phone with gloves on drives a fifth (17%) crazy.

And according to a poll of 2,000 by Post Office, so does the boiler breaking (17%) as soon as the temperature drops, with one in six (16%) also loathing the travel disruptions.

More than half (56%) admit that winter is one of the worst things about living in Britain, with 50% of us longing for the sun and warmer days.

Almost nine in 10 say they’ve considered seeking out winter sun between November and February, with the Canary Islands (43%), Maldives (36%), Barbados (31%), Dubai (28%) and Miami (27%) emerging as the most popular winter sun destinations.

Four in ten (41%) say they are more likely to forget travel insurance for winter sun trips than summer – and for those who have a policy, one in six have no idea what it covers.

It comes as Post Office calls on winter sun jet-setters to make sure they have travel insurance cover and to read their policies carefully to avoid unnecessary expenses.

Post Office’s Paul Paddock said: “Amidst the current wintery weather many of us are craving some winter sun in warmer climates.

“But with many less likely to consider travel insurance for winter trips it is so important to take out a policy so that you’re covered financially – to avoid unnecessary costs when things don’t quite go to plan.”