More married people in Leeds have been flouting coronavirus rules and having affairs.
Cheaters in the city have been meeting in greater numbers this year than in 2019, according to the website Illicit Encounters.
The website, which facilitates extramarital affairs, claims there are 20,581 people* having affairs in Leeds, compared to 19,104 last year.
This is despite government rules which, since the end of March, have banned or restricted people from meeting people from other households.
The 8 per cent increase is because of lockdown cabin fever, says Jessica Leoni of Illicit Encounters.
She said: “We have seen a big rise in cheating over the last year in Leeds, even in the last six months covered by Covid.
“This is due to lockdown cabin fever – increasing numbers of people have become fed-up with their partners after being stuck together at home for most of this year and even denied a summer holiday in many cases.
“The Covid fear factor largely went at the start of the summer when the pubs reopened and people realised that the virus was only a big health threat if you are elderly or in a high-risk group.
“People started dating again and cheating numbers surged as lots of new relationships were forged.”
*The figures are based on IllicitEncounters’ own 'extensive data' on the numbers of Britons cheating.
