A survey has revealed that nearly two thirds of men and women across the nation have confessed to sharing their beds with a pet or animal.

The poll, commissioned by Sussex Beds, got under the sheets of 1,000 British adults to expose how many people are snuggling down with their furry friends.

The survey results show:

• Sixty three percent of respondents admitted to sharing their beds with a pet or animal
• Londoners were most likely to allow their pooch in, with nearly seven out of ten saying they had.  This was closely followed by Wales and the West Midlands who sat joint second at 67 percent.  If you’re looking for a partner who won’t invite their pampered pet into bed, head for East Midlands where only 57 percent owned up. 

The full order of the regions were as follows:

1) London – 68%

2) Wales – 67%

2) West Midlands – 67%

3) Yorkshire and the Humber – 66%

4) North West - 63%

4) Scotland – 63%

5) South East – 61%

5) North East – 61%

5) Northern Ireland – 61%

6) South West – 59%

7) East Anglia – 58%

8) East Midlands 57%

• The split between men and women who confessed was quite equal with 64 percent of men, and 62 percent of women responding ‘yes’

• Those who earnt less than £10,000, or more than £40,000 per annum, were less likely to share their duvet than the middle bracket

• Surprisingly, those over 55 years old were least likely to have snuggled down with their pet with only 57% of 55-64 year olds and 47% of those aged 65 and over

The survey follows on from the revelations that Sussex Beds recently uncovered that Britain’s pets are scuppering sex, as one in 12 adults in the UK confessed to taking their pets to bed to avoid intimacy with their partners, and six out of ten people stating that they won’t have sex with a partner if pets’ prying eyes were in the room - with women (66%) being more self-conscious than men (56%). 

Steve Pickering, MD of Sussex Beds said: “Our poll was intended as a light-hearted look into the bedtime habits of people across the UK. We were amazed to discover that pets are positioned so highly in the family that people are willing to share their bed space.

“For anyone with respiratory conditions like asthma we wouldn’t even recommend letting a pet in a bedroom.  But for those who do invite animals into bed, we would highly recommend a good quality mattress protector to prevent the growth of bacteria and offer a dust mite barrier and allergy protection.”

For more information on Sussex Beds visit www.sussexbedcentre.co.uk or call 01424 212177.