ED SHEERAN thinks he is responsible for ginger guys having more sex.

The red-headed singer insists he doesn't mind when men who share his hair colour pretend to be him to receive attention from girls, and is pleased so many flame-haired people have been "having a lot of fun" in the bedroom since he found fame and became an unlikely sex symbol.

He said: "There are a lot of ginger dudes in England who are using me.

"That's why I'm not hating on it. You know what, we're finally getting laid! This is a good thing.

"There are loads of ginger people in England who are smashing it and having a lot of fun."

And the 24-year-old star admitted he and his team are often contacted by women who mistakenly think they have slept with the 'Bloodstream' singer.

Speaking on a US Radio show, he said: "We did get this random e-mail to my manager to this girl, while we were on tour in America.

"It was like 'I think I slept with Ed last night at a festival, but I can't remember if it was him or not. If it was him, tell him he's an a**hole and if it wasn't, tell him I'm sorry for this e-mail. This was like a couple of weeks ago."

While Ed can see the funny side of ginger guys impersonating him to impress women, he knows the tactic doesn't always work - especially when they approach his own family members.

He laughed: "My cousin went on holiday with all her mates. And her mate was in a bar and this dude came up to her and said 'I have my song in on the radio and my name is Ed Sheeran'.

"So she is like 'Hold on a minute' and she goes to get my cousin and she says (to the guy) 'Tell her that.'

"And he goes 'Yeah my name is Ed Sheeran and I have got this song on the radio' and then Kathy, my cousin, just pulls out her ID and holds it up and it says Kathy Sheeran and she yells out 'Look at that! Not today mate... not today.

"And the guy goes to all the bars in all the lands. Apparently it works for him."