A NEW index has been published today listing the 'most adulterous' areas in Essex and across the UK.

The search tool, dubbed The Infidelity Index, shows how many people within a certain postcode, town or city are signed up to Illicit Encounters, a dating website for married people.

According to the 'cheating map', Essex is one of the least faithful counties in the UK with no less than nine towns in the top 140.

Chelmsford is the most adulterous town in Essex, with 1,330 Illicit Encounters members (that's 1.2 per cent of the city's population).

Close behind was Clacton-On-Sea (40th), followed by Grays (52nd), Colchester (89th), Brentwood (102nd), Harlow (107th), Rayleigh (111th), Basildon (119th), and Southend-on-Sea (129th). 

Last year’s most faithful town, Brentwood, failed to hold onto its spot and shot up 38 places in the list. A total of 297 people are signed up for extra-marital affairs in the town.

Southend-on-Sea led the way for faithful couples in Essex as 11th most faithful town in the UK.

Here's was Illicit Encounters spokesman, Christian Grant, had to say about the data:

"People from Essex have a bit of a reputation for being promiscuous, and now we know why.

"There's no smoke without fire, but it hasn't always been this way. We’re not sure what happened to the good people of Essex over the past year, but they’ve gone from being one of the most faithful to one of the most adulterous in the country."

Find out how your area fares by entering your postcode here.

  • Information from IllicitEncounters.com