It's half a century since Eddie Cochran first complained about the debilitating condition.

But there still ain't no cure for the Summertime Blues  -  not this year, at least.

The dismal weather has caused a deep depression to settle on millions of Britons.

Grey skies and relentless showers are causing sufferers to feel lethargic, despondent and unmotivated.

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If an empty grandstand on the 18th green of the 2008 British Open isn't a sure sign of a depressing summer, it's hard to see what is

Summer blues: Sad Wimbledon fans are all too familiar with the condition

Psychologists warn that unless the climatic conditions improve, many more will be affected by the condition.

In most areas, the summer so far has been a washout and in some parts an entire month's rainfall has fallen in just one day.

Forecasters have warned that this July could be one of the wettest on record, if not quite so bad as last year's with its devastating floods.

According to experts, many Britons who had been looking forward to a long, hot summer now feel cheated and despondent especially as it is something out of their control. For years scientists have known that dull winter weather has a direct effect on mood and at its most extreme the condition is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Now it has spread to the season of picnics and barbecues.

Dr David Lewis, a leading neuropsychologist said: 'The weather has a profound effect on our mood particularly at a time of year when we would expect it to be warm and pleasant.

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'A large proportion of us will be suffering from general weather blues and will feel resentful and frustrated. Unless conditions improve or we have an Indian Summer later this autumn, more and more people are going to feel generally down.

'Depression is brought about when we feel we cannot control a situation and that is exactly the situation here  -  unless we go on holiday there is nothing we can do.

'In addition it is fair to say that people will not have ventured outside very much this summer so they will only have been exposed to artificial light which does not provide the same chemical reactions as sunlight. It's very important that we all put on their sou'westers and head out into the rain just to get a small amount of natural light.'

Alison Kelly, spokesman for the mental health charity Mind, said: 'We have recently carried out research that showed there was a direct link between people feeling good about themselves and how much exercise they undertake outside in the sunlight.

'If conditions prevent them from doing this then it is fair to say that more people will be feeling gloomy.

People have had hardly any opportunity to go outside and enjoy barbecues and socialise outdoors so they have been inclined to stay inside and this will reduce their mood.'

The amount of sunshine directly affects mood and if not enough light reaches the part of the brain called the hypothalamus it can cause what is known as the winter blues. Symptoms include insomnia, lethargy, overeating and irritability and up to a fifth of the population is known to be affected.

At least half a million people are seriously affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder. One treatment is light therapy, where sufferers place a very bright light close to them for up to four hours a day.

Last summer sales of these light therapy boxes rose by four times above average. Some manufacturers reported that customers were buying them as early as June.

PS ... The Met Office's long-range weather forecast is for a 'typical British summer' of sunshine, cloud, showers, the occasional thunderstorm and slightly above average temperatures.