Brit wives '7 times likelier than French women to cheat on their hubbies'

The dating website Undercover Lovers - whose members are married men and women - found that British wives are seven times more likely to cheat on their husbands than French women.

In the past year, 177,825 wives from the UK have signed up to website compared with just 24,543 in France and 18,622 in Ireland.

Website co-founder Emily Pope said the results also put paid to the idea that men are the ones usually seeking an affair.

The UK membership is equally balanced between men and women whereas in France men out-number women by about three to two.

"We're surprised by the figures. When we launched the site, we expected our French membership to quickly outstrip the British, given France's historical reputation as the home of the liaison dangereuse," the Daily Express quoted Pope as saying.

Lack of action in the bedroom has been identified as the main reason for people joining the website.

Members are typically professionals in their 30s or 40s, earning 10,000 pounds more than the national average wage. They have been married for five or more years.