World Cup costs UK business £391m

While bar owners and bookies will still be celebrating a hugely successful World Cup the remainder of UK businesses are having to pick up a £391m tab after an unprecedented level of sickies and long lunches hit their productivity.

According to research conducted by Barclaycard's Premiership website http://www.4thegame.com more than one third of all football fans surveyed admitted to taking at least one day off to watch the football.

Many offices tried to prevent becoming a World Cup Marie Celeste by providing television screens for staff, but for many it appears the allure of the public house may have been too great.

However, silicon.com can reveal that our own readers were not swept away by World Cup fever.

On Friday 7 June, when David Beckham was scoring from the penalty spot against Argentina which sent the rest of the country into delirium, the number of readers logging on to silicon.com in search of technology news was actually more than 10 per cent up on previous Fridays. We salute you.

However, come the group stages a few fair weather fans joined in the party atmosphere. During the closing stages of England's quarter final clash with Brazil the site figures were down almost 50 per cent.