The cheating capital of the UK is Guildford in Surrey, according to a new map of the country’s 400 adultery hotspots. The Surrey commuter town has been officially named as the place where a husband or wife is most likely to have an affair.
Guildford has 3,289 people cheating - 5.2% of the population. That is a 41% rise on 2021’s figure of 2,325 affairs - due to an ‘explosion’ of cheating as the cost of living crisis makes it too expensive for unhappy couples to divorce, according to experts.
One resident of the town who has had three affairs in 2022 said: “They should rename it Guilt-ford! It is a real hotbed for cheating.”
In second place was Borehamwood in Herts - where they film EastEnders - which has 1,341 cheats (4.95% of the population). The most faithful town was Wigan with less than 1% of the population having affairs.
The interactive Infidelity Index allows users to search a town, city or postcode to discover how many people are having affairs in any locality This year’s table from IllicitEncounters.com, the UK affairs site, shows that cheating has risen by 12% nationally due to two factors - people looking for fun to escape the economic turmoil and the end of two years blighted by Covid.
In third place was Cambuslang in South Lanarkshire which is also Scotland’s cheating capital with 1,064 cheats (4.85% of the population). Fourth place went to Rhyl in Denbighshire which is also Wales’ cheating capital with 999 cheats (4.84% of the population).
Wigan in Greater Manchester was bottom of the table with 436 cheats (0.13% of the population). IllicitEncounters.com spokeswoman Jessica Leoni said: “Guildford is the UK’s new cheating capital. Sex in the suburbs has never been more popular and there has been an explosion of cheating in the last year.
“The cost of living crisis has been a huge factor in boosting the numbers of affairs. Sex is one of the few things you can do which is free and is a good way to relieve stress.
“Fewer unhappy couples can afford to divorce because the cost of setting up two new homes is astronomical. Far cheaper to stay in an unhappy relationship and have a discreet affair. A second factor has been life finally returning to normal after Covid and cheaters making up for lost time after two years of restrictions.
“The run-up to Christmas is always a boom time for affairs because most people are back in the office and looking for some fun.”
More than 1.5 million people have had relationships with IllicitEncounters since it started in 2003.
The UK’s top 20 cheating hotspots
1 Guildford, Surrey - 3,289 cheats (5.21% of the population)
2 Borehamwood, Herts - 1,341 cheats (4.95%)
3 Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire - 1,064 cheats (4.85%)
4 Rhyl, Denbighshire - 999 cheats (4.84%)
5 Beverley, East Yorkshire - 1,209 cheats (4.82%)
6 Warwick, Warks - 1,226 cheats (4.77%)
7 Bridgwater, Somerset - 1,466 cheats (4.75%)
8 Fulwood, Lancs - 1,443 cheats (4.75%)
9 Kidsgrove, Staffs - 986 cheats (4.57%)
10 Newton Abbot - 952 cheats (4.54%)
11 Chester, Cheshire - 12,836 cheats (4.52%)
12 Market Harborough, Leics - 848 cheats (4.51%)
13 Beaconsfield, Bucks - 481 cheats (4.50%)
14 Wilmslow, Cheshire - 1,091 cheats (4.45%)
15 Canterbury - 10,990 cheats (4.40%)
16 Evesham, Worcs - 848 cheats (4.39%)
17 Leeds - 24,004 cheats (4.31%)
18 Farnham, Surrey - 886 cheats (4.22%)
19 Didcot, Oxon - 919 cheats (4.16%)
20 Abingdon, Oxon - 1,301 cheats (4.15%)
The UK’s top 10 most faithful towns
1 Wigan, Greater Manchester - 436 cheats (0.13% of the population)
2 Bournemouth, Dorset - 409 cheats (0.27%)
3 Gateshead, Tyne and Wear - 315 cheats (0.32%)
4 Watford, Herts - 444 cheats (0.41%)
5 Rotherham, South Yorks - 386 cheats (0.43%)
6 Hartlepool, County Durham - 310 cheats (0.43%)
7 Paignton, Devon -246 cheats (0.47%)
8 Washington, Tyne & Wear - 264 cheats (0.48%)
9 Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands - 446 cheats (0.50%)
10 Stockport, Greater Manchester - 441 cheats (0.51%)
