Midlands market town with ‘no redeeming qualities’ named UK swinging capital

Once dubbed a place with ‘no redeeming qualities’, West Bromwich — probably best known by outsiders for its namesake football club — may finally hold new allure.

It’s not the closure of its off-licence that was dubbed a ‘hive of illegal activity’ by police though, nor the possibility of a new KFC drive-thru.

The industrial market town’s latest claim to fame is actually that it’s the UK’s swinging capital, with the largest concentration of new online swinger profiles compared to anywhere else in the country.

Adult website SoloFun analysed recent member sign-ups on a popular UK swinging platform across 150 of the most populated towns and cities, aiming to determine where the sexual practice was most prevalent.

West Brom took the crown with 445 new swinging sign ups per 100,000 residents in the last week alone — a figure that seems pretty adventurous, but isn’t out of the question given an estimated 1.5 million Brits now embrace swinging.

For clarity, swinging is a form of consensual non-monogamy where people in relationships have sex with others, typically either swapping sexual partners with another couple or engaging in group sex.

There’s ‘soft swinging’, too, which involves non-penetrative sexual relations outside of a marriage or primary relationship, as opposed to swinging or a ‘full swap’, where two or more couples will exchange partners and have sexual intercourse.

Following behind in second place, just an hour-and-a-half up the road, was Salford, Greater Manchester. Here there were 414 new weekly sign-ups to the swingers platform per 100,000 residents.

While it may be renowned for being home to both the world’s first free public library and more recently Media City, Manchester locals’ favourite sexual pastime is a threesome, so the idea of a secret Salford swinging sect isn’t exactly farfetched.

Just a stone’s throw away is Stockport, which was named the third most popular swinging hotspot in the UK, racking up 320 new profiles per 100,000 people.

Something must be in the water around Manchester anyway, as Oldham — also just outside the Northern city — was fourth on the list at 311 weekly sign-ups, while back in Birmingham, Dudley rounded out the top five with 305.

But it’s not just the English that are getting their kit off — north of the border, the Scots are also indulging. East Kilbride, which isn’t far from Glasgow, was also revealed as a haven for swinging, with 268 sign-ups per 100,000 of its population.

Following behind was Walsall in seventh, while Gateshead, Newcastle landed eighth on the list with 245 sign-ups; Geordies are notoriously friendly, so it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine this would extend to the bedroom.

Elsewhere, well-to-do Cheshire and Sale rounded out the top 10 UK swinging hotspots, meaning not a single town in the south of England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, even compared to the sexual desires of the north.

More UK sex capitals

Of course, swinging isn’t the only thing we’ve been keeping track of. There are plenty of other UK towns and cities with X-rated claims to fame.

Hereford is the town that buys the biggest dildos in the country, with the average dildo purchased by its locals last year at a whopping 7.13 inches long.

In comparison, that’s roughly the length of a standard pencil, manual toothbrush, or mid-sized banana.

There’s even a puppy play fetish capital; a title awarded to Edinburgh, where it’s practiced at a rate that’s double the national average.

This fetish involves a form of adult role play — particularly popular in the gay community — where people dress up and embody the mannerisms of a dog.

Edinburgh also spends more on sexual wellness products than anywhere else in the UK meaning it’s the ‘sexiest city’.

Now you’re sufficiently hot under the collar, let us know if your hometown made the list.

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