BLACKBURN residents are having more affairs this year, according to a new ‘cheating map’.

Adultery is apparently booming in the town with the map revealing 938 people are having affairs – up from 860 last year despite the coronavirus crisis.

The company ‘Illicit Encounters’ has put the rise down to ‘lockdown cabin fever’ with people becoming unhappy locked away with their significant other, leading to more people sneaking around.

Illicit Encounters spokeswoman Jessica Leoni said: “We have seen a big rise in cheating over the last year in Blackburn, 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.”

Figures have been revealed from the UK’s leading affairs dating website own extensive data on the number of Britons being unfaithful.

The interactive Infidelity Index allows users to search a city, town or postcode to discover how many people are having affairs in any locality.