Esher is the most adulterous town in Surrey and the tenth in the UK, according to figures released by affair website IllicitEncounters.com.

The number of site users in each town has been mapped onto the towns’ adult populations to give a percentage score.

Esher has 475 users on the site looking to have an affair – 1.9 per cent of its adult population – and the town has climbed 57 places in the countrywide ranking since last year.

The site’s spokesman Christian Grant said: “The past decade has seen affairs skyrocket, and one of the main proponents of this is the turbulent economy; this is particularly true in London and the surrounding counties.

“Divorce is now seen as economic suicide, so when your marriage reaches its natural conclusion, sometimes the only viable option available to you is an affair, something that Esher’s citizens evidently agree with.”

Elsewhere in the county, Guildford came fourteenth nationally – down from second place last year – with 1.84 per cent, Walton came in at 59 with 1.01 per cent, Ewell at 98 with 0.68 per cent and Woking at 106 with 0.63 per cent.