Ashford has been revealed as Kent’s most adulterous town according to researchers into the country’s cheating hotspots.

Spouses may wish to look away, as nearly 1,200 love rats in the town are doing the dirty on their loved ones according to the Illicit Encounters website.

The website’s research reveals that Ashford comes in at number eight on the nationwide list, with 1.75% of the population signing up to the website to have extra-marital relations.

The numbers of adulterous couples appears to be on the increase, as Ashford was listed in 28th place last year.

The website was set up 13 years ago and keeps data on the numbers of people signing up, with more than a million now registered in the UK, and boasts that 20,000 people are having affairs on the website.

Website spokesman Christian Grant said: “We are increasingly popular in commuter towns like High Wycombe, Guildford, Maidenhead and Ashford.

“They are doing a lot more than just twitching curtains in Acacia Avenue. Spiralling house prices have made divorce increasingly difficult for many couples.

“They are struggling along unhappily because they simply cannot afford to set up two homes. We provide an outlet for men and women who would have an affair whether we were there or not."

Other Kent towns also appeared on the list, with leafy Royal Tunbridge Wells appearing at 15th with 527 profiles looking for an affair.

Meanwhile Rochester was 21st, Margate in 29th, Chatham in 30th and Folkestone also made the top 100 in 62nd place.