Four times the national average spent on sexy underwear.

It may be famous for its cathedral and castle but Lincoln is also noteworthy for another reason – the amount its residents spend on sexy underwear.

New research shows that city people spend four times the national average on stockings and hosiery – and more than three times the average on lingerie.

The city also ranks highly for the cash it spends on adult DVDs and other X-rated products.

All together this puts Lincoln 8th in the country out of 1,000 towns and cities. This compares to Lincolnshire town Alford which is 995th in the country and spends just 0.3 times the national average on sexy goods.

Sex expert and author Tracey Cox said she wasn’t surprised that people in Lincoln were spending up big on sexy items, and attributed it to the current economic climate.

“If you can’t afford to go out, there’s only so much telly you can watch,” she said.

“It’s a positive for relationships. It shows an openness and willingness by people in Lincoln to make an effort and try new things.”

A spokesman for High Street retailer Ann Summers said that these results came as no surprise.

“We have seen an increase in sales of our lingerie across the board,” she said.

“More people are turning down the duvet and turning on each other.

“The credit crunch has kept people in the bedroom, and in light of that, sales in Lincoln have exceeded our expectations. Customers in Lincoln especially love our lingerie and bedroom wear.”

The study was carried out by LoveHoney, which makes and sells sexy products.

Among the other locations features on the LoveHoney map are Hull, which spends 1.3 times the national average on fetish clothing – it’s biggest spend on erotic products. Overall it is ranked 458th.

Also featured are Gainsborough, which spends 0.7 per cent of the national average on sexy goods and Market Rasen which is 954th overall with an average spend of 0.4 per cent of the national average.

Adults in the UK spend an average of £6.57 on their sex lives every year – nearly 10 times more than the 69p per person we spend on the Royal Family.

British people spend a staggering £315 million each year on saucy lingerie, adult toys and sexy gifts.

For more sexy statistics on towns in Lincolnshire, visit the UK Sex Map at www.uksexmap.co.uk.