Young singles looking to meet a new woman in Swindon this Valentine’s Day could find themselves lucky in love, with figures showing women in their 20s outnumber men by hundreds.

Swindon is one of fewer than 50 places in England to have more female twenty-somethings, with data showing there are almost 200,000 fewer than their male counterparts nationally.

But a relationship expert at dating website eharmony says the growth of online dating means local gender gaps are becoming a problem of the past.

Office for National Statistics population predictions for 2020 estimate there are 12,100 women aged 20-29 in Swindon – compared to 11,900 men.

It means that for every 100 men in their 20s, there are 102 women.

Across England, the ONS estimates there are 3.7 million twenty-something men, and just 3.5 million women.

The figures also show that the highest male-to-female rate in the country was in Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, where there are more than twice as many men as women in the age bracket.

Outside of the City of London – where data is skewed by a low residential population – the London borough of Wandsworth is where young women most dominate, with 136 to every 100 men.

Of the 360 local authorities in the country, there are just 48 where women outnumber men – with London taking seven of the top 10 spots.

Rachael Lloyd, relationship expert at eharmony, said: "With an ever more mobile population, it's no surprise that there are gender discrepancies in certain parts of the UK.

“And although this might cause potential difficulties when it comes to dating, the opposite can also be said.

"The emergence of online dating has ultimately allowed us to widen our geographical dating pool and effectively meet someone who isn't from the same town or village.

“This doesn't mean that you necessarily need to travel for hours to meet a partner, but perhaps even explore the next town along."

For young women fearing the competition, dating coach Hayley Quinn has some advice.

A celebrity relationship expert and founder of her own dating website, she urges them to keep a positive mindset.

She said: “Single women tend to have more active social lives than single men: so use that to your advantage and take up some male orientated hobbies (bouldering, sailing, running clubs etc) to stand a better chance of meeting him.

“A lot of single guys will feel nervous about making the first move, so an easy way to stand out from the crowd is to ensure you feel comfortable sending him a clear signal that you're happy to speak to him.”

In Swindon, women in their 30s still outnumber men by 15,900 to 15,200.

For those a decade older, the figures swing the other way, with 16,100 men and 15,400 women.

Women tend to overtake men as they get older, with 1,200 of them in Swindon aged 90-plus and 600 men.