A so-called ‘cheating map’ claims to reveal how many people are doing the dirty on their spouse – and the figures for Chester probably won’t fill you with much confidence.

We lay claim to the dubious honour of coming 30th in the 2017 Infidelity Index’s city rankings with an estimated 3.67% of our adult population having extramarital affairs – that equates to a staggering 12,861 love rats who call Chester home.

Cheshire as a whole is one of the most adulterous places in the country, according to IllicitEncounters.com – a dating website for married men and women which claims to be the ‘leading authority on infidelity’.

It compiled the index by mapping the location data of its 1.1million members across each town and city’s respective population to find out which are the most unfaithful.

Ellesmere Port was 74th in the town rankings, with 0.71% cheating.

Runcorn is said to be the most adulterous town in Cheshire, while at the other end of the spectrum Warrington boasts the most monogamous couples.

Shedding some light on the findings, Christian Grant, spokesman for IllicitEncounters.com, said: “People of Cheshire, look away now. Home to several of the UK’s most adulterous towns, with two in the top 20, Cheshire is officially one of the most adulterous places in the entire country.

“But why? Well, what we’ve found, particularly in recent years, is that many people are stuck in an unhappy marriage, but are scared of the economic implications of a divorce.

“So, an affair presents itself as an obvious alternative, especially for those living in the parts of Cheshire that are among the most affluent places anywhere outside of London.

“The good news for the county is that it can look toward Warrington as a beacon of monogamy and trust; it’s officially the 26th most faithful town in the UK.”

Nationally, Gloucester and Glasgow were the most and least adulterous cities respectively.