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An extramarital dating site claims it has experienced a 77 per cent increase in women looking for sex during Euro 2012.

IllicitEncounters.com reckons that this is due to neglected “football widows” looking for some on-the-side action.

The website, which has more than 680,000 members, says it noticed a surge in female activity as soon as the tournament began.

And on Tuesday night, when England was playing Ukraine for a place in the quarter-finals, it reported an 82 per cent increase in interest from women.

Similar spikes were noted during England’s matches against France and against Sweden.

And female activity on the website has increased over the three games – just as television audiences have climbed.

Illicit Encounters spokeswoman Rosie Freeman-Jones said: “Figures show that the match between England and Sweden had a larger audience than any match broadcast during Euro 2008.

“People’s interest in football is obviously on the rise, but so is the number of women who feel put out by their husband’s obsession with the game.”

Site activity is expected to rise further as the tournament continues, culminating in an expected boom during the quarter final on 24 June.

“Some new females have actually been surprisingly explicit about what led them to join the site,” added Ms Freeman-Jones.

“Perhaps these figures will serve as a wake-up call to British men: if you don’t pay attention to these ladies, they’ll go and find someone who will – preferably someone who’s into salsa dancing or gardening.”