Dating apps are increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with potentially catastrophic consequences, a leading doctor has warned.

Dr Peter Greenhouse, of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), says the apps could trigger an ‘explosion’ of HIV in heterosexual people.

Speaking to BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat, he said: ‘You are able to turn over partners more quickly with a dating app and the quicker you change partners, the more likely you are to get infections.’

‘What really worries me is that we are just at a tipping point for HIV. If enough people change partners quickly, and they’ve got other untreated sexually transmitted infections, it might just start an explosion of HIV in the heterosexual population. Apps could do that.’

Apps must now invest more time in pushing a safe sex message, he added.

The latest figures from Public Health England show rapid rises in some STIs.

There has been a 33 per cent rise in syphilis and a 19 per cent increase in gonorrhoea in 2014.

However, The Online Dating Association, who represent online dating sites and apps in the UK, disagrees that apps are to blame for increases in STI rates.

Read the article “Dating Apps Like Tinder and Happn ‘Could Spark an Explosion of HIV,’ Leading Expert Warns” on dailymail.co.uk.