PEOPLE in relationships are enjoying flirty weekend breaks without their partners to test their pulling power, a survey has found.

Many admit having a clandestine kiss or dancing with a stranger during their away days and nights.

But going on the occasional break without your loved one isn't necessarily bad for your long-term relationship.

Being a pseudo single can be fun and liberating as long as you don't make it a habit.

Nearly a quarter of Britons in a relationship have been on a UK break without their partner in the last three years, with 35 per cent of them preferring to holiday with friends.

And men were twice as likely as women to flirt with someone on these single-sex breaks, the survey from Teletext Holidays found.

Of those on breaks, seen as "pseudo singles", eight per cent saw their trip as an opportunity to test their "pulling" ability.

Wanting to relive their single days was given as an explanation by 16 per cent.

However, 25 per cent said they craved a break from their other half and 52 per cent expressed a need to escape the routine of their daily lives.

While on their UK break, a half of those in a relationship admitted they danced with someone else, 29 per cent enjoyed a flirtation and 9 per cent ended the evening with a kiss.

Forgetting their commitments, a further eight per cent exchanged numbers with their new acquaintance.

Of those with partners who went on "boys-out" weekends, 23 per cent went to adult entertainment clubs, 69 per cent said it was fine to flirt and eight per cent went further than that.

Nearly two in five of women in a long-term relationship were happy to dance with a stranger while nearly a third said their friends were more than happy to get pally with groups of lads.

More than three in five of married people said they preferred to go on a UK trip with their partner as opposed to their friends.

Denise Knowles, spokeswoman and counsellor for Relate, the marriage guidance bureau, said: "You need to take a good look at what modern day relationships are made up of.

"People don't always just stay at home nowadays, the lines are becoming blurred.

"Partners like to go and do things for themselves nowadays.

"It can be a healthy thing to have a good time with friends occasionally, but if you're doing it frequently then you really need to look more closely at your relationship

"It's best to keep a balance, go with your partner every now and then occasionally too.

"If you never take any breaks with your partner it could indicate a problem."

Nishma Patel, director of sales at Teletext Holidays, said: "Holidays at home and abroad are cheaper than ever.

"This means many of us are enjoying more short breaks each year.

"Pseudo singles are a new trend in UK tourism, with holidaymakers wanting to maximise both their money and their fun."

Flirt cities

Top 10 locations for pseudo singles' UK Breaks:

1. London (32%)

2. Blackpool (20%)

3. Brighton (18%)

4 Manchester (14%)

4 Edinburgh (14%)

4 Dublin (14%)

7. Bournemouth (10%)

8. Liverpool (9%)

9. Birmingham (8%)

10. Leeds (8%).