THE UK’s love affair with coffee is so strong, that British workers would rather be late for work than miss out on their morning coffee, according to a study.

And, it’s the Welsh who consume the most coffee in the UK with one in ten drinking between seven and eight cups per day.

The poll of 2,000 UK residents found one in five confess to risking lateness in order to brew up at home or queue at their favourite coffee shop.

The research by Lyons Coffee found that 54 per cent of coffee drinkers say they couldn’t go to work without a coffee and one in ten say they’d be unproductive without one.

A total of 27 per cent claim that it’s an essential part of their morning routine and 16 per cent say their body doesn’t function properly without it. It affects us emotionally, too, as a third of respondents said they feel grumpy without one and 41 per cent say they feel sluggish without their morning brew.

Over 55s are most likely to favour a strong coffee, with 15 per cent per cent opting for the strongest option, compared to less than 10 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds.

Nicole Hartnell, brand manager at Lyons Coffee said: “Our love affair with coffee is stronger than ever, as a quarter of us would rather skip breakfast than our morning coffee, which is especially true among women.”