By Phil Coleman

Published at 12:03, Thursday, 11 October 2012

Carlisle's international reputation will probably never be the same again...

A survey for an online dating agency claims the city’s men are the naughtiest in Europe, with those questioned boasting to have at least 14 sexual partners a year.

Even cities such as Prague, Paris, and Vienna came nowhere near that level of romantic activity, according to the survey results.

The unspecified number of Carlisle men who took part in the poll – said to involve 25,000 men across Europe – claimed to have significantly more partners in a year than most other men in the country have in a lifetime.

Could such an extravagant claim be true?

Or is it the product of the fevered imagination of a PR professional on a mission? We went into Carlisle city centre to gauge the opinions of locals.

Carl Fitton, 37, from Durranhill, said: “I wouldn’t think the figures are credible for Carlisle generally.

“If they have spoken only to people who use this dating website they’re likely to have had more partners anyway. They’ve obviously spoken to a certain kind of people.”

Beverley Kelso, 51, visiting Carlisle from her home in Patterdale, was also sceptical, and said: “I’d say that it’s just rubbish. I don’t think Carlisle is that kind of place.”

Carlisle man Robin Wilson, 46, was visibly shocked by the claim, asking: “You’re joking, aren’t you? I don’t know where they get their figures from. I only wish it was true because then I might have a partner.”

Nick Dawson, 33, from Denton Holme, was also unconvinced, saying: “I sincerely doubt it’s true.

“It’s probably been a closed and screened interview process and the bravado of the men questioned has shot through in the answers.”

But not everybody dismissed the survey.

Oliver Stephenson, 20, from Wigton, said: “It wouldn’t surprise me if it was true. The lads here go out for a good time, and some may have even more than 14 partners a year. It’s happening nationwide.”

Philip Wynne, 23, from Houghton, said: “It certainly could be true in some parts of Carlisle. But it won’t help because Carlisle already has a chavvy reputation.”

Lewis Thomson, 18, a student at Carlisle College, added:“I think the survey is probably about right – but that is not an opinion based on my personal experience.”

The survey was carried out for the SeekingArrangement.com website, which looks for partners to match with wealthy men.

The site’s chief executive Brandon Wade said: “Wealthy men are worldly and appreciate different experiences.

“Most of these men have a geographic advantage of being located in major cities with high traffic and a good amount of sunshine. Combine that with the allure of wealth and it’s no surprise that these men are so satisfied. But most of the other men who took part in the survey pale into comparison to the men of Carlisle and only reported having three or four partners annually.”

The survey claimed that of the men from Carlisle questioned, 100 per cent said they had at least 14 sexual partners annually. This compared to figures of 79 per cent in Prague, in the Czech Republic; and 55 per cent in Paris.

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk