In the upcoming budget this week, Chancellor George Osborne will put forward a proposal for shops in England and Wales to stay open for longer on Sundays.

At the present time smaller retailers are allowed to open all day, however shops over 280 sq m (3,000 sq ft) can only stay open for six hours.

The Treasury has pointed out that the proposal could produce more than £200 million-a-year more sales in London and also around 3,000 jobs.

Commenting on the proposal, Mr Osborne said here was a "growing appetite" for shopping on a Sunday.

"There is some evidence that transactions for Sunday shopping are actually growing faster than those for Saturday.

"The rise of online shopping, which people can do round the clock, also means more retailers want to be able to compete by opening for longer at the weekend.

"But this won't be right for every area, so I want to devolve the power to make this decision to mayors and local authorities."

Online retailers have also been putting pressure on high street shops as figures show 11% now account for overall online sales.

Adrian Pepper from the Open Sundays campaign group responded to the Chancellor’s proposal saying: "The current Sunday trading laws do not preserve any valuable cultural aspects of our way of life. They just make life more inconvenient.

"If you want to go out early on a Sunday morning looking for a wide range of fresh produce to cook for a family Sunday lunch, you cannot.

"If you want to go to church on a Sunday morning, there is even less time to get the shopping done."

Responding, James Lowman, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores replied that giving local authorities responsibility for setting Sunday trading hours could lead to "inconsistency and confusion" for businesses and shoppers. He added: "The short period of time that small stores are open while large stores are shut is a crucial advantage for convenience stores, most of which are owned by small businesses. Liberalising Sunday trading hours would make some small stores unviable."

Do you think Sunday trading laws should be relaxed? Have your say here.