Let’s be honest, we’ve all had those nights when all we want to do is go home and curl up in front of the television rather than party with Fred from finance at the office Christmas party.

For those of us who don’t have the courage, or right shoes on, to do a runner, Westminster council’s free text excuse service is the lifesaver we’ve been waiting for.

The service, which is part of the council's “some things you only do when you're drunk" campaign, uses excuses such as "Neighbours have just turned up with bottle of wine expecting dinner. WHY??? Awaiting your urgent arrival" and "Power cut. No candles". 

The excuse service can be found at Westminsteronline.org, which also gives you the option of getting London’s cab numbers sent to your phone and also the latest travel information in case the "Locked out. 999 emergency. Waiting for you in my fireman's uniform. Race home with everything flashing" excuse doesn’t quite convince the boss.