City traders have urged UK and European exchanges to cut trading hours to improve work-life balance.

They say the long hours are bad for mental health and are not exactly family-friendly.

“It’s hard to find childcare at five o’clock in the morning,” said April Day, head of equities at the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME).

The idea is for exchanges to open from 09:00 to 16:00, instead of 08:00 to 16:30.

The AFME is pushing for the change alongside fellow trader body the Investment Association.

Shorter trading hours on equity markets would cut pressure on traders and attract a more diverse range of workers, it said.