I THINK it is a great idea to have four more bank holidays.

Other countries across Europe already have 12 compared to our eight.

However, celebrating our patron saints would introduce three days off cluttered together at the earlier part of the year.

Three would be close together March 1 (St David), March 17 (St Patrick) and April 23 (St George) with November 30 (St Andrew) being close to Christmas.

We’ve already got two close together in May and the double Easter bank holidays.

I absolutely love having a long weekend but you’ve got to spare a thought for the effect these extra shutdowns could have on businesses, particularly small ones.

The cost could pose problems especially in these times of austerity.

Why don’t we ask people across the UK for suggestions of when they think we should have extra bank holidays?

Perhaps we could suggest specific months and see what ideas come in.

There’s a long gap from the end of May until the end of August without any.

I’m sure people would prefer to have time off in these summer months with lovely long days to enjoy.

Then, we could have another two between August and Christmas to cheer us up during the dark, cold winter.

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