Sunderland residents are the third most faithful towards their partners in England

These are the cities where people are most likely to have an affair in the workplace.

The city's people have been voted the third most faithful in the UK when it comes to office romances.

With more than a third of our lives spent in the workplace, it is inevitable that relationships can blossom and grow intimate.

And a study of 1,800 people discovered that one in five individuals have an affair at some point in their lifetime and that 58% of these start in the workplace, making it the number one place for affairs to happen.

Workers in Durham are the most likely to have a workplace affair (9.6%), followed shamelessly by Exeter (9.3%) and Oxford (9%).

This contrasts with those more faithful in London (1.5%), Cambridge (1.8%) and Sunderland (1.9%), where partners proved to be more loyal.

Speaking on the figures, Barbara Bloomfield, Relate Counsellor, said: “Results showing fewer affairs being reported in London is interesting. This may be due to the way people define affairs differently across the country. Cities such as London may have a higher tolerance to what an affair is, a kiss or phone conversation may not be defined in the same way as sleeping with someone is.”

Ruth Brady, couples counsellor, added: “People who have work affairs are often looking for excitement. Those involved in a workplace affair often experience boredom and dissatisfaction at work. City workers may experience more excitement and job satisfaction leading to happier relationships.”

The research was carried out by Rebootonline.com.