Maidenhead is cheating capital of the UK

Many wealthy commuter-belt towns appeared in the top twenty, while Bournemouth came out as the most faithful town

(AFP/Getty Images)

The otherwise unremarkable commuter-belt town of Maidenhead, Berkshire, has been named the UK’s capital of infidelity, according to the membership data of a website specialising in extra-marital affairs.

1,316 people in the 63,580-person strong town, where more millionaires live than anywhere else in the UK outside of London, are having an affair, according to the dating website Illicit Encounters.

A high proportion of wealthy commuter towns appear in the website’s Infidelity Index, while the Scottish town of Livingston, where 1,080 affairs out of a population of 56,269 are taking place, comes in second on the list, followed by Farnborough in Hampshire, where 1.55 per cent of people out of a population of 65,034 are being unfaithful.

According to the data, Bournemouth came in as the town with the most faithful residents, a fact the website claims is linked to its elderly population, closely followed by Craigavon in Northern Ireland, and Barry in Wales.

The website made its findings by compiling its membership data across 140 UK towns with a population of above 50,000.

Members on the site, where people can send virtual kisses and gifts, try and tempt potential lovers with offers of spicing up their lacklustre sex lives, while allowing them to stay with their long-term parter or spouse.

"Boredom is my mortal foe and sworn enemy. In fact it's the devil. And right now he's winning. I'm here to change that," writes one user called Zico10.

"I'm a libertine I suppose. Y'know, that's cool obviously ;-)," he adds.

Another user going by the name lovemetenderly, writes: "I am looking for a man who like me is looking for that extra spark that is missing in their current situation.
"I want to experience again that tingling exciting feeling that you get from a first text, a first phone call, a first date to a first encounter. I will be discrete and expect the same from you," she adds.

Top ten UK towns for affairs

1 Maidenhead 1,316 affairs out of a population of 63,580 (2.07 per cent)
2 Livingston 1,080 affairs out of a population of 56,269 (1.92 per cent)
3 Farnborough 1,008 affairs out of a population of 65,034 (1.55 per cent)
4 Loughborough 877 affairs out of a population of 59,932 (1.48 per cent)
5 Bracknell 1,128 affairs out of a population of 77,256 (1.46 per cent)
6 Gravesend 784 affairs out of a population of 55,467 (1.41 per cent)
7 Beeston 702 affairs out of a population of 51,479 (1.36 per cent)
8 Aldershot 776 affairs out of a population of 57,211 (1.35 per cent)
9 Gosport 960 affairs out of a population of 71,529 (1.34 per cent)
10 Taunton 802 affairs out of a population of 60,479 (1.33 per cent)