BRIGHTON and Hove is leading the way in terms of same-sex marriage, with one in eight weddings in the city being gay marriages.

In Brighton and Hove, out of a total 1,317 marriages which took place or were registered between July 27, 2017 and July 27, 2018, 159 were same-sex marriages.

This equates to more than 12 per cent of marriages.

According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the percentage of the population of England and Wales aged 16 and over who are in a same-sex marriage is 0.12 per cent.

Paula Guy from the population statistics division of the ONS said the figure has risen in the last two years but β€œat a slower rate than between 2015 and 2016 immediately after the introduction of same-sex marriage.”