Entering the twilight zone... meet the workers on the nightshift

A house alarm agent, a council road worker, and a radio presenter tell Jonathan deBurca Butler what it's like earning their crust while most of us are asleep

Kiran Kumar behind his desk at work at Phonewatch: 'When I’ve done my last [night] shift, I try to stay up for as long as I can so I get back into the daytime routine. That’s what works for me.'

In my house, the dog and I are always the last to go to bed. By midnight, I’ve fallen asleep on the couch and I wake up to a creaky neck and BBC News telling me about Donald Trump’s latest whimsical declaration.

After bringing the dog out and sending her to bed, I go to the hall and put on the house alarm, before ascending the stairs. I’d never thought about the people who monitor that alarm, but while my family and I sleep, Kiran Kumar and many more like him are keeping a watchful eye.