Cybersex rockets in South Yorkshire as affairs boom to beat lockdown boredom

Three-quarters of cheaters in the county (74%) have enjoyed online sex sessions since the first lockdown in March last year on platforms such as Zoom, Facetime and Skype.

And nine out of ten (91%) say they will start cheating again in the flesh once all the vulnerable are vaccinated by the end of next month - leading to an affairs boom in the spring.

Just 9% said they would stick to cyber sex until the Covid crisis is over which might not be till the summer.

A quarter (24%) said they preferred cyber sex because it is less complicated and it is easier to make your excuses and leave afterwards.

The results are from a new survey of 2,000 people having affairs during lockdown by IllicitEncounters.com, the UK’s leading dating site for married people.

It found that the vast majority of cheaters (86%) had stuck to the rules and avoided physical contact with lovers outside their bubble.

A third of members (32%) were meeting up with lovers over the summer when infection rates were low.

But this figure has dropped significantly since the second lockdown when the second wave has swept the country.

The most popular locations for illicit sex outside the home were cars (32% had tried this), countryside (28%), a park (17%) and a beach (15%).

There has been a big increase in cyber sex sessions since the autumn with 80% of female members and 68% of male members saying they had stripped off for sex with a partner online.

Nine out of ten female cheaters (92%) and 88% of men having affairs said they were seeking cyber sex because they were ‘bored’ with their current relationship.

The vast majority (82%) said they enjoyed cyber sex and found it to be a good substitute for real sex.

The survey found that 89% of cheaters had initiated a new affair in the last year.

The average female member has had three new affairs with 34% having met their lovers over the last year for sex.

Male members have had slightly fewer affairs - averaging out at 2.6 new affairs each - and 30% have met up for women for sex.

IllicitEncounters.com sex and relationship expert Jessica Leoni said: “The Government is never going to stop people from having sex, no matter how strict the rules are.

“However, no one wants to put people in danger so we have seen over the last year the more inventive ways that people find to still have sex.

“Cyber sex is booming and people are having affairs on their phones and laptops all over the UK.

“Lots of our members view cyber sex as a good substitute for real sex because there is none of the faff afterwards - you can quickly make your excuses and leave.

“There will be a huge affairs boom in the spring when the vulnerable are protected and the pressure is lifted from hospitals.

“It is going to be like a mass prison break-out because we have all been stuck at home for far too long.”