The dawn of the new millennium on January 1 2000 brought the largest daily number of suicides on recent record in England and Wales, according to a report yesterday by the Office for National Statistics.

While most of the nation was recovering from a night of celebration, 23 men and women reached the point of despair at which they took their lives - more than double the daily average over the past 10 years.

The government's statisticians said the result was consistent with a "new beginning" theory, suggesting that more people became suicidal at the transition into a new time period.

The phenomenon happens regularly, with a higher suicide rate at the start of the week. The average over the past 10 years was 12 suicides on Mondays, compared with a daily average of 10. The number fell day by day through the week to reach its lowest point, averaging 8.8 on Sundays.

The ONS said: "Previous research has suggested that the 'Monday effect' for suicide has its foundations in the transition from weekend to the working week - that Monday-morning feeling."

But they rejected the theory that despair might be linked to dislike of going back to work. The pattern of Monday suicides persisted across age groups, applying as much to over-75s who were probably not in employment.

Previous research showed suicide attempts were fewer before holidays and higher than expected after, regardless of the day of the week.

"Our finding that the highest number of suicides recorded for any one day was New Year's Day 2000 (a Saturday) is consistent with this and with the theory that pattern in suicides ... is related to the effect of a new beginning," the statisticians said.

The only day during the 10 years studied when there were no suicides was Friday, March 16 2001.

Anita Brock, one of the authors of the report, said one implication of the findings could be that jails should make extra checks on depressed prisoners on a Monday, or the Samaritans could provide extra phone line help.