Two thirds of adults have fallen victim to ‘love loiterers’

New research has revealed the average person spends almost eight and a half months of their love lives in limbo, where they invest time in romantic interests only to find their dating hits a dead end.

Top time-wasting tactics include putting minimal effort into arranging dates (67 per cent), takingover 24 hours to reply to your messages (60 per cent), cancelling plans last minute (57 per cent) andof course, claiming their phone battery has died (52 per cent).

Failing to remember basic facts about you (44 per cent), checking their phone regularly while on adate (44 per cent) and not deleting their dating apps (40 per cent) are further signs you might betangled up with a time waster.

And some love loiterers even go as far as to blame astrology - with almost a fifth (18 per cent)blaming Mercury being in retrograde for their shifty behaviour.

There appears to be clear differences across genders

Women are 20 per cent more likely than men to have dated a Love Loiterer (76 per cent v 56 per cent), but they are also five per cent more likely to admit they have been a time waster than men.

Plenty of Fish Relationship expert, Shannon Smith, said: “We know many singles are looking for a special, authentic connection and someone who isn’t going to waste their time indulging in the early stages of dating with no intention of committing long term - especially so since lockdown.

“We’re excited to help people get their love lives out of limbo, take back control of the dating game and save themselves time in the process.”

The research by Plenty of Fish also revealed time-wasting has been prevalent during the pandemic.

While the legacy of lockdown left 72 per cent of singletons looking for a serious relationship, three quarters (76 per cent) admitted to ghosting someone since lockdown started.

And half (52 per cent) of the 1,789 singletons surveyed say they were left high and dry by their pandemic partner once they were able to return to dating venues.

Taking it's toll

Dating a time waster can take its toll, making Brits feel less confident (47 per cent), suspicious of the people they date (44 per cent) or even leading them to stop dating altogether (14 per cent).

But there may be a silver lining, with 44 per cent of singletons believing that dating a time waster has made them realise what they want from a relationship.

And more than a third (35 per cent) have become more serious about finding a good relationship since leaving a Love Loiterer.

What’s more, more than a quarter (28 per cent) now ask all romantic interests about their intentions during the early stages of dating, in an effort to sniff out time wasters from the off.