Three in five people in Cheshire have admitted to looking into neighbours' homes from outside.

According to a new survey into the nation's curiosity and willingness to overstep boundaries, 63 percent of Cestrians would be willing to take a peep into another person's house, with two in ten saying they have been caught doing so.

While both genders admit to being extra nosey and looking in from the street, women in Cheshire are better at doing so unnoticed - only 18 per cent have been caught, while for men it’s over a quarter (26 per cent).

Shuttercraft, who produce made-to-measure window coverings and have a branch in the region, surveyed 1500 people, revealing some interesting voyeuristic habits in the process.

Of those caught in the act, 28 percent invented an excuse for looking and, in typical British manner, one in six would apologise (15 percent), but more than one in 10 (11 per cent) would simply ignore the neighbour until they think they’ve forgotten about it.

The living room as the space most commonly looked into, followed by the kitchen, dining room and bedroom. Whether in the bedroom or not, 15 percent have witnessed nudity or sex, including a naked Twister game, an affair, and some reports of people cooking or watching the news in the nude.

Other unusual scenes seen from outside include someone eating toast off the floor, kissing the TV and having a Christmas tree up well outside of the festive season.

Pets have also had their privacy violated, with reports of cats mating, dogs and cats dressed up, a dog glimpsed while having puppies and a lizard taking a stroll across the windowsill.

Regular arguments between couples and families also made the list at the most spotted activities through the window, as well as criminal activity such as regular cannabis smoking, burglaries and throwing of rubbish over the fence in some cases.

The nation's nosiest neighbours reside in Northampton with a huge 92 percent saying they have looked into a neighbours home. This is followed by Southampton (75 percent) and Leicester (74 percent), but just down the road only 40 per cent of people in Derby have the habit - or admit it, at the very least.

As we’ve spent the better part of the last two years at home, 98 percent of Britons now appear to list home privacy as important. Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of us report getting angry and 15 per cent feeling violated when they spot someone looking in the window.

When asked what they would do if someone was looking into their home, 70 per cent would do something about it, like stand in front of the window or confront the person, while 30 per cent would just ignore them. Not only are many of us indifferent, but one in five admit to leaving the windows uncovered on purpose - hoping to cause their neighbours home envy.

Tony Reid, Head of Marketing for Shuttercraft, said: "The stats speak for themselves - we can all be a little too curious sometimes and while many don’t mind sharing their lives with the world occasionally, home privacy is more important than ever.

"With the spike in DIY activity we’ve seen over the last two years, it’s no surprise some people would leave their shutters open on purpose, to show off their home upgrades.

"However, it’s important to have a sense of boundary - so people can open their homes to the world if they want to, but also be able to shutter them in order to keep private moments private."