Scientists have claimed that simply turning on a light at night for a few seconds to go to the toilet can cause changes that might lead to cancer.

When a light is turned on at night, it triggers an "over-expression" of cells linked to the formation of cancer, researchers in the UK and Israel have found.

Geneticist Professor Charalambos Kyriacou carried out the test on mice at Leicester University.

A group of mice were exposed to a light for one hour during the trial.

When compared with mice, which had been kept in the dark, changes were found in cells in the brain responsible for the circadian clock which controls body function.

Rachel Ben-Shlomo, of the University of Haifa, was quoted as saying "We believe that any turning on of artificial light in the night has an impact on the body clock. It's a very sensitive mechanism. If you want to get up to go to the toilet, you should avoid reaching for the light switch. There are some plug-in lights that just glow, that are safe and you could use them as an alternative." (With Inputs from Agencies)