YORK council staff have been banned from watching England's opening match of the World Cup on Monday afternoon if they're at work - whether in the office or working from home.

The country's fixture against Iran kicks off in the middle of the UK working day at 1pm.

And Ian Floyd, Chief Operating Officer at City of York Council, says that staff wanting to watch it or any World Cup match during working hours would need to arrange leave.

"We will not be showing any matches in our offices and this guidance applies to all staff, whether they’re working from home or in the office," he said.

"We will try to be as flexible as possible but the provision of our services will always come first.”

The council's stance differs somewhat from York confectioner Nestlé, which said that while it was not making any special arrangements for the World Cup, games would be available to view on screens around its sites.

“As always, our employees were able to request leave to take the time off to support their team and we would always accommodate that where it was possible," said a spokesman.

York and Scarborough Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it hoped its staff would enjoy the football 'when and where they can.'

A spokesperson said: "People have the choice to book leave to watch any of the matches, as they would do for any other event they wanted to be part of.

“As a 24-hour-a-day healthcare organisation, patients are our first priority. Staff work all manner of shifts and a large proportion do not work 9-5, so matches will coincide with staff shifts throughout the tournament, as it does for many other people across the UK who have to provide essential services."

They added that patients would be able to watch every England game at this year’s World Cup on all bedside television units, thanks to funding from York and Scarborough Hospitals Charity.

Meanwhile Lucy Trynka, a specialist employment solicitor at lawyers Rollits LLP, urged bosses across the region to 'get their tactics right or risk a rush of World Cup own goals and red cards in the workplace.'

She suggested employers should remind employees in advance of such games that they should not be watching football whilst they were working, particularly if they worked from home. 

"It may also be worth drawing the attention of employees to any relevant Company IT Policy which sets out guidelines regarding appropriate internet use in the workplace,"she said.

“Employers may also wish to remind employees of any internal policies relating to unauthorised absence and/or appropriate use of sick leave in such scenarios."