As people prepare to exit summer break across Europe, an intimate dating site called Illicit Affairs in the United Kingdom says there will be a considerable increase in the number of cheating partners.

While reports of infidelity may appear like a usual occurrence among consenting adults, the site predicted that September will experience a spike.

“There will be a ‘surge’ in cheating this month because couples will return from their summer holidays and want to start their post-pandemic life by straying from their partner,” it said.

UK METRO reported that the research notes that the autumn rise in love affairs occurs yearly, due to the post-holiday effect, but it’ll be more pronounced after a year of lockdowns and COVID-19 stress.

The dating site, which has become popular for having romantic hook-up also claimed that ‘record numbers’ of couples will return from a summer break looking for a new partner after becoming fed-up with their other half.

Out of the 2,000 site members surveyed for the research, 78 per cent admitted that the return to the office and a move away from home working will make it far easier to have an affair, while 54 per cent of couples say they have reassessed their relationship during the pandemic.

The dating portal identified September, followed by January and February, as the peak time when people engage in random dating.

Following a depressing lockdown, a third of women and a similar number of men said they feel less passion for their partner after being stuck at home together for so long.

A sex and relationship therapist, Jessica Leoni, however offered an explanation, ‘September is always the busiest month of the year for affairs and it is why we call it Sex-tember.

‘Long summer holidays are a turning point for so many couples – they realise they have little in common and the sex is still boring even when they are basking in paradise.

‘The pandemic has been a game changer for so many people.

‘They will use September to start completely afresh, knowing they can sleep around safely because the vaccination programme has taken the sting out of the virus.”