THE number of people in Bradford currently cheating on their partners by having secret affairs this year has been revealed, with the number of cheaters rising in every area even with the Covid-19 lockdown.

The figures have been revealed by online affairs dating website Illicit Encounters, which said cabin fever caused by Covid-19 has caused more people to cheat on their partners, despite the risks of catching or spreading the virus.

In Bradford, 9,789 people in the city are having an affair, up from 9,130 last year. However, Bradford is one of the least adulterous cities in the UK ranking 46th out of 52, with the number of cheaters less than one per cent of the population.

However, this level of loyalty isn't reflected in Pudsey, ranked tenth in Illicit Encounters infidelity index for towns, with 812 people having affairs - 3.79 per cent of the town's population - up from 621 last year.

Ilkley had the next highest number, rising from 594 to 641, and Skipton also had a large number of people playing away, up to 578 from 535.

In Keighley, the number of adulterers rose by a third this year, up from 332 to 445. In Shipley, the number rose to 404 from 370, and in Bingley it went from 373 to 400.

In Queensbury there was a slight rise from 348 to 375, in Otley it rose to 461 from 418, and in Cleckheaton numbers went up to 429 from 400.

In Brighouse, numbers rose by 37 to 290, while in Guiseley the numbers went up to 262 from 240.

Jessica Leoni, spokesperson for Illicit Encounters, said: “We have seen a big rise in cheating over the last year in Bradford, 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 Illicit Encounters’ own extensive data on the numbers of Britons cheating. You can do a postcode by postcode search of its 'cheating map' by clicking here.