ALARMING news reached The Bolton News office this week — and I am surprised there has not been more coverage of this pressing issue on television and in the national media.

The research was carried out by an organisation called Russell Hobbs — who are either a left-of-centre think tank or a kettle maker, I'm not sure.

Either way, their report was not only incredibly thorough, but it also much needed.

There is not enough research into the contentious subject of the office politics of brew-making .

These days, all the funding is pumped into stuff like how to improve social mobility in deprived communities and how to keep taxes low while maintaining public services.

But the experts at Russell Hobbs have seen past those headline-grabbing issues and have finally commissioned a long-overdue report into the coffee and tea-making antics of Britain's white collar elite.

Unfortunately the report makes grim reading — and has confirmed what I have long suspected: a "sneaky brew pandemic" is gripping the North West.

More than 1.3 million people in the region — that's on in five — admit to making a covert cuppa more than once a day at work.

And more than half of us — not me though, I would never do this — are guilty of making a sneaky brew at some point during the working week.

A fifth of people claim not to have enough time to make a colleague a coffee — while half of us are already wise to these treacherous sneaks' ways with 54 per cent suspecting co-workers of making a brew behind our backs.

Luckily, a fifth of these charlatans are caught out because of a noisy work kettle.

For those of you thinking that this is just some sort of cheap publicity stunt by Russell Hobbs — you could not be more wrong.

Because they have got Corrine Sweet — the world-renowned relationship psychologist and self-help author – on the case.

“As people are increasingly stressed at work and in life, creeping off for a sneaky brew is a great way to get some precious ‘me’ time,” she says. “Grabbing that calming cuppa and a few quiet moments is a very important part of the day, so it’s not surprising that people do it more when the pressure is on.

“However, being selfish about brewing up can create office discord. The person who brews up for the work crew, with a smile is often popular as it’s a good social networking skill. Being the one never to brew up can create resentment and bad feelings in the office, and even block promotion. So when you next head for the kettle, take a moment to think of your colleagues, too.” Thanks Corrine – I couldn’t have said it better myself.

* The fact that Russell Hobbs has a new new kettle on sale — which it claims is 75 per cent quieter thanks to something called "Quiet Boil Technology" — is entirely coincidental.