'Not before December': Leeds locals settle the debate on when it's too early to put the heating on

Leeds locals have settled the debate over when it is too early to put the heating on - and September is firmly off limits.

With temperatures beginning to dip and autumn approaching, we asked readers when they would finally give in.

Many said they were still sleeping with fans on, keeping their windows open and wearing shorts and T-shirts despite the colder nights.

Andrew Horn said: “As a true Yorkshire man, I'm still in shorts and a T-shirt.”

Joseph Buchanan said he still had his patio door and windows open and was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, adding: “Not time for the big coat yet!”

And Nicola Howe was similarly adamant, saying: “All the windows are open!”

For some, the heating was firmly a November or December problem.

Graham Dibb said: “This is Yorkshire, heating only on between November and February.”

Meanwhile, Kemble Nickie BK said: “Absolutely not until end of November! Yorkshire lass.”

John Pizzey joked that he had told his wife there was “no circumstances” under which the heating should be turned on before December.

Others had already started using the heating, however, with Sara Knowles saying she had put hers on for an hour because she was “chuffing freezing”.

Rose Marie Donnelly said she had had hers on for half an hour, while Gail Hemingbrough had switched hers on briefly to warm the bathroom before a bath.

And one reader had found a way to keep warm without putting the central heating on.

Lynne Firth Was Bryan said: “Nope. We have fleecy blankets on our sofas and throw them over us when we feel a bit chilly.”

Others mentioned heated throws, hot water bottles and even keeping the fire on as alternatives.

The cost of heating was another reason many readers were determined to hold off for as long as possible.

Joanne Dewhirst said: “Have you seen how quickly it empties your meter?”

Chris Russum said that with gas costs rising, his heating would be staying off through October to December.

And Kirsty Louise, who uses heating oil, said it was “very expensive this year” and she would have to hold off for as long as possible.

But perhaps the most Yorkshire response came from David Nye, who said his father would be “spinning over the cemetery wall” if the heating went on in September.

At the other end of the scale, some readers said they simply put the heating on whenever they felt cold.

Linda Harrison said: “If I feel chilly, the heating goes on regardless of the month.”

So, when is it officially acceptable to turn the heating back on?

According to our readers, September is definitely too early - with November, December or simply “when I'm freezing” emerging as the preferred options.

Until then, it seems jumpers, blankets and fans will have to do.