THOUSANDS of people trudged back to work today on the "most miserable" day of the year.

As commuters faced up to huge hikes in bus and train fares in York and North Yorkshire, a survey revealed that the return to work after the Christmas and New Year celebrations is seen by many as the most stressful and depressing date in the calendar.

Workers say they feel physically drained, with toxins from weeks of overindulgence racing through the veins and waistlines bulging - and months in the gym needed to get back into shape.

At the same time, sunshine will be in short supply for the next three months and it will be another six months before summer finally arrives, while wallets are empty after paying for Christmas.

The financial stresses facing commuters will not have been eased by an 8.8 per cent rise in some fares on GNER's York-London route, and by soaring bus fares- by more than 50 per cent in certain cases.

First said the rises, which came in on January 1 but only kicked in for commuters with today's return to York, had been caused by increased costs for fuel, labour, insurance and vehicle maintenance.

The survey of workers, conducted by recruitment consultancy Office Angels, found that almost three quarters believed January 3 was the toughest day in the working calendar.

The firm's managing director Paul Jacobs said the best way to combat the problems was by throwing themselves positively into new responsibilities and projects at work. "Focus on a fresh start and really think hard about what you want to achieve over the next 12 months," he said.

And there was good news for people wanting to book a summer break, with holiday operators offering big discounts of hundreds of pounds.

Updated: 09:45 Tuesday, January 03, 2006