Affairs on the rise as thousands in West Midlands play away

The Infidelity Index shows how many wives or husbands have signed up to find an affair with other married people.

Lichfield tops the list in the West Midlands with 6,577 people signing up for some extra-marital activities.

Wolverhampton comes next with 6,011, but after that no other town has more than 1,000 people looking for an affair.

The site also ranks the top 150 towns, with populations of more than 50,000, by percentage of people who are on the hunt for an affair.

Cannock has 704 people signed up to the site. That equates to around one husband or wife in every 100 people looking to stray.

Stafford has 611 people looking to cheat, meaning 0.89 per cent of married people are signed up with the site.

Reverend David Wright, rector at St Peter's Collegiate Church in Wolverhampton, said he was disappointed.

He said: "I suppose the first thing to mention is that marriage is a life-long exclusive union between two people.

"While the church recognises that marriages do sometimes fail, it is disappointing that people are doing this who are already in this union. To go behind their spouse's back to look for extra-marital affairs is a real betrayal of trust."

Christine Northam, from relationship counselling and support organisation Relate, said: "In our experience at Relate, affairs can be painful and destructive, and sometimes relationships never recover.

"Our advice would be to seek help for a relationship if people aren't happy, rather than considering an affair as a solution."

Maidenhead has claimed the dubious crown of the most illicit town in Britain, with just over two per cent of the population cheating, with Bournemouth declared the most faithful.

The dating site, which has more than 850,000 users, was set up in 2003 by entrepreneur and businessman Steven Lines.

Mike Taylor, spokesman for the website, said: "It is fascinating to see the breakdown of how many people are looking for affairs in your local area, who wouldn't want to see if they live in a hanky panky hotspot? We have already had thousands of people visiting the website looking to see where their home town ranks compared with their friends."

League table of playing away: How many people are looking for affairs

• Lichfield 6,577

• Wolverhampton 6,011

• Wednesbury /Darlaston 716

• Coseley/Bilston 709

• Cannock 704

• Stafford 611

• Halesowen 556

• Stourbridge 503

• Oldbury 498

• Rugeley 467

• West Bromwich 446

• Brierley Hill 439

• Tipton/Sandwell/Smethwick 422

• Walsall 418

• Bloxwich 412

• Kidderminster 367

• Dudley 362

• Blackheath 335

• Stourport 269

• Sedgley 253

• Aldridge 229

• Bewdley 191

• Brownhills 122

Total 24,419