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Children may have to wait just a little bit longer than usual before ripping open their Christmas presents tomorrow morning: a survey suggests that two-thirds of UK BlackBerry users are planning to check their e-mails before joining the rest of the family around the tree.

The study suggest that British office workers are finding it increasingly difficult to switch off during the festive break. Three out of four BlackBerry users admit that they will continue to respond to their work messages through the entire Christmas break.

Owners of the device can often be seen in public transport, or with friends in the pub, glued to the gadget, which allows you to work around the clock without actually being in the office.

According to the survey of 700 business users as they passed through Crowne Plaza hotels, which commissioned the report, Christmas and New Year are no exception.

Last week, another study found that 62 per cent of business travellers have taken their BlackBerry to bed in case an important work e-mail comes through during the night, while a quarter admitted to sleeping with their BlackBerry every night.

The device has become essential to city suits, however thanks to recent economic turmoil, the Canadian makers of the phone, Research in Motion (RIM), warned earlier this month that they would make weaker profit margins as there would be lower than expected uptake for its mobile phones.

Consumer demand for high-end smartphones, that can give access to e-mails and the internet, has been energised this year by the introduction of Apple's 3G iPhone. RIM, has a grip over the corporate “enterprise market”, has hit back with a series of launches, including the BlackBerry Bold and the touchscreen BlackBerry Storm, aimed more at the everyday consumer.

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