One in four rarely uses contraception with a new partner

That first flush of romance can make even the most level-headed among us lose our heads when things get steamy.

At least that's the finding of a survey by the Co-operative Pharmacy, which quizzed 3,000 people about their sexual habits. The survey discovered almost a quarter of people never or only sometimes use contraception when they sleep with a new partner.

It seems all that excitement makes people forget about protecting themselves against sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancies, as the main reason cited for not using contraception was getting carried away in the moment. And a surprisingly frank one in 10 even admitted they just couldn't be bothered about using contraception.

It looks like relationships are going out of fashion for some people too, with 11% of those questioned claiming the majority of their sexual encounters were one-night stands. A further 13% admitted they mostly had quick flings, while 2% said most of the people they slept with were strangers.

And if you thought that young people were leading the way in terms of promiscuity, think again. It's the over-50s who are engaging in the more risky side of relationships, the survey suggests, with one in three claiming to have slept around and had unprotected sex with strangers.

Of the 18-21-year-olds surveyed, 19% said they'd waited until they were 16 to have sex (though that implies an awful lot don't).

Do you think getting carried away in the moment is a poor excuse for not being responsible about sex?