Towns were observed in sex survey

People living in Worcester and Middlesbrough in 1949 unwittingly took part in Britain's first sex survey, according to a documentary.

A mass-observation project was carried out by British researchers a year after the Kinsey Report appeared in the US.

Instead of the questionnaires used in other places, researchers secretly watched public sexual behaviour, a BBC Four programme reveals on Wednesday.

The results were considered so radical they had to be hidden until now.

'Extra dimension'

Worcester and Middlesbrough were even given the code names of Churchtown and Steeltown respectively.

Thousands of people were asked about their sexual attitudes and behaviour and the results revealed a unique snapshot of the sexual lives of the British population.

A documentary by BBC Four reveals the findings which were buried in the archive of the University of Sussex.

Producer Steve Humphries said Worcester and Middlesbrough added an extra dimension to the study.

It was reported that Worcester was more virtuous than Middlesbrough Steve Humphries, producer

"In those times, for people having pre-marital or extra-marital sex there wasn't anywhere to go so it was done publicly in back alleys, parks and back rows of cinemas," he said.

"So the researchers went to these two towns to observe public sexual behaviour."

He said some of those carrying out the survey did abuse their position and propositioned the women in the towns.

"The men did use their position to their advantage and tested the virtue of the local girls," he said.

"It was reported that Worcester was more virtuous than Middlesbrough."

Little Kinsey is on BBC Four on Wednesday at 2200 BST.