Three out of four Brits have had bondage sex in the last six months according to a new survey of 2,000 people quizzed by sex toy company LoveHoney.co.uk. 16% used kinky accessories every time they had sex the survey revealed, with 7% admitting to using ‘unspecified household objects’.

Sexologist Tracey Cox suggested experimenting with kinky sex could be a cost effective way to cope with anxieties prompted by the credit crunch. “While I certainly wouldn’t suggest going to an S&M party for most couples, playing ‘tie-up’ privately is a definitely a great way to add zest to anyone’s sex life,” she suggested. “When one of you is tied-up, you’ll tend to try new things in bed, straying away from your predictable love-making path – it’s this unpredictability that is the biggest turn on.”

LoveHoney’s study appeared just as US conglomerate Johnson & Johnson revealed that sales of sexual lubricants have increased in America by 32% over the last three months, with sales in the “sexual-enhancement” product category exploding by 74%. “When the economy goes down, sex goes up,” a spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson satellite company KY lubricants told Frisky.com. Both stories reflected the analysis of Trojan condom marketing boss Jim Daniels, who in February told USA Today that prophylactic sales are booming.

“If people don’t have the money to go out to a fancy dinner or are looking to cut back, Trojan gives them some real affordable ways to stay in and make some great memories together,” he enthused. “Obviously people in general want to avoid… unintended pregnancies,” he added. “But in a down economy those costs are even more burdensome to bear.”