Singles: too busy to date

Up to 3million singletons say they are happy to stay that way because they are simply too busy for love.

A similar number say they manage to date a only handful of times a year because they are working too hard, new research has found.

They cut corners by using online dating, because it avoids the time-consuming business of sending love notes or meeting new people in bars.

However, at least a third of the nation's 10million singles also say they do not get enough sex.

The lonely reality of the work-dominated Bridget Jones lifestyle was revealed in a new study by Internet portal Yahoo.

More than four in ten men and women admitted working more than 40 hours a week, saying they had difficulties with balancing their working and social lives.

A third have tried online dating while one in five has flirted by text message. By contrast, just one in 100 has ever sent a love letter and six in ten claim that they never use chat up lines or fall for them.

However, e-flirting has its drawbacks- nearly two-thirds of singles admitted they have had a dating disaster, often as a result of not seeing a picture first of a blind date.

Psychologist Donna Dawson said: 'In today's busy world, where more and more of us are living away from our home town and working longer hours, singles do not have the time, opportunities or inclination to search for a friend or partner in the traditional ways.'

However, modern singles still prefer traditional dates. Four in ten say there is nothing better than a first meeting in a pleasant restaurant.