OXFORD residents are among the thirstiest tea drinkers in the UK - and the biggest sugar takers.

That's according to new research released ahead of National Tea Day tomorrow.

A new study – perhaps strangely undertaken by sofa and carpet company ScS – says city residents 'are the fourth biggest tea drinkers in the UK, at an average of five and a half cups a day'.

That 5.3 cup average translates to some 820,000 brews made in Oxford every day, the company claims.

It adds that more than half of Oxford residents take sugar.

The poll of 2,000 people suggests that only Belfast (seven cups); Norwich (six) and Liverpool (5.4) beat Oxford.

In terms of when the city has a cuppa, almost one in ten said they had one at 9pm, while curled up on the sofa or tucked up in bed.

However, 68 per cent said that having a cuppa disrupts their sleep. Experts suggest that the caffeine in tea blocks sleep-inducing chemicals in the brain.

Dale Gillespie, from ScS, said: “It’s no shock to see how much Oxford loves tea - I’m sure a lot of people couldn’t go without a cuppa to get them through the day.

"Although tea might be affecting our sleep, it seems as though nothing could stop the nation from drinking our beloved hot drink entirely, but it’s definitely worth being mindful when drinking caffeine if we’re hoping for a better night’s kip.”

Nationwide, ScS say 45 million tea drinkers gulp down 225 millions cups each day.