Brits have had 'indirect sex' with 2.8 mln people

The average Briton has had indirect sex with 2.8 million people, according to research published on Wednesday, AFP reported.

Based on data collected from over 6,000 adults, an online calculator lets people work out the total number of sexual partners they have indirectly had.

Using the 'six degrees of separation' theory, which states that every person in the world is only six steps removed from everyone else, Lloydspharmacy developed the calculator to highlight the risks of unprotected sex and raise awareness of sexually transmitted infections.

When people enter the number of sexual partners they've had, along with their sex and age, the 'sex degrees of separation' calculator works out many previous sexual partners people in that age range have had on average.

It then repeats the process for five further "generations" of partners to give an overall total, with the average Briton racking up nearly 3 million indirect bedmates.

Clare Kerr, head of sexual health at Lloydspharmacy, said: "When we sleep with someone, we are, in effect, not only sleeping with them, but also their previous partners and their partners' previous partners, and so on.

"It's important that people understand how exposed they are to STIs and take appropriate precautions including using condoms and getting themselves checked out where appropriate.

"A simple sexual health check will give both partners in a relationship peace of mind."

On average, British men claim to have directly slept with nine partners each while women say they have had 6.3 partners, the pharmacy chain said.