Quarter of over 50s 'cheat on their partner'

In fact, according to the survey, one in three 51 to 55-year-olds said that they had "slept around" and had an unprotected one-night stand, while one in four admitted to having more than one ongoing sexual relationship.

In addition, a sixth of them never use contraception when embarking on a new relationship, the highest of any age group, found the poll of 3,000 people.

The survey, commissioned by The Cooperative Pharmacy, also found that today's young people are less promiscuous than their elders were at the same age, 'The Daily Telegraph' said.

A fifth of teenagers over 16 delayed having their first sexual encounter until the legal age of consent, the survey found, compared to only one in 20 of those now aged 20 or older.

Lisa McCreesh, a pharmacist for The Cooperative Pharmacy, said: "Our research challenges the belief that teenagers are more promiscuous than older generations.

"They unfairly get a bad name, while those in their fifties, who grew up in the sixties and seventies, are living up to the era's care free image as they take greater risks with their sexual health."