New data suggests affairs in Oldham have plummeted in the last 12 months - and the borough is one of few to buck the national trend.

A new ‘cheating map’ shows affairs have increased for parts of the country and Greater Manchester in the last 12 months, yet the trend has reversed in Oldham where adultery has fallen.

Data compiled by UK affairs site IllicitEncounters.com reveal 549 people in Oldham are having an affair - a large decrease from the 1,095 from last year.

The Official Infidelity Index 2022 reveals most other boroughs in Greater Manchester have experienced a sudden surge in infidelity in the last 12 months.

The website attributes this rise to the cost-of-living crisis, with fewer people able to afford a divorce, and a post-pandemic 'freedom' to meet other people.

In Manchester, there are 35,887 cheats, up from 27,224 last year, with affairs in Bury, Bolton, Salford, Cheadle and Hale also rising.

The Oldham Times: Affairs could be on the rise as fewer people are able to afford a divorce, IllicitEncounters.com have said. Image by: CanvaAffairs could be on the rise as fewer people are able to afford a divorce, IllicitEncounters.com have said. Image by: Canva (Image: Canva)

Yet fewer Oldhamers are being unfaithful, though IllicitEncounters claim this is because residents simply can't afford to go out and meet people and warn the figures may rise again this Christmas.

Jessica Leoni, a spokeswoman for the website, said: “Oldham has seen one of the biggest falls in adultery in the country over the last year.

“We put that down to the cost-of-living crisis.

“Oldham is one of the most deprived areas in the UK.

"The Centre for UK Prosperity ranked Oldham 375, the lowest for Greater Manchester, out of 379 UK local authorities.

“Putting it bluntly, a lot of people in the town simply cannot afford to go out at present.

“When footfall drops in pubs, so do affairs."

Ms Leoni explained that affairs tend to happen in more prosperous areas.

She said: "People still have a few pounds to spare and they think, 'I may as well have some fun.'

"That might explain why in some parts of Manchester the figures have gone up."

She also said the group expects to see figures rise in the run-up to the festive period as it's "always a boom time for affairs".