SCIENTISTS believe a staggering 750,000 Tinder users are carrying pubic lice.

Millions of people worldwide are thought to carry the private part pests, The Sun reports.

The news came as lovers enjoyed a romantic time between the sheets this Valentine’s Day.

A University of Sydney scientist made the startling discovery after conducting new research.

Dr Cameron Webb writes: “Perhaps their absence from the sexual health spotlight is due to the lack of serious health implications associated with infestation, the shifting grooming habitats of those most sexually active ... or, perhaps in the age of internet diagnosis, few people present their itchy nether regions to the local doctor.”

The growing popularity of people waxing their nether regions was thought to have almost obliterated the condition but Dr Webb’s research disproved this theory.

Dr Webb spoke of the health risks associated with having a lice infection saying: “There’s evidence that pubic lice may be an indicator of other sexually transmitted infections, such as chlamydia.”

Continuing he said: “They don’t fly or jump. They move from host to host through direct contact and, for the most part, this is through sexual contact. Not always, but most commonly.”

Humans are believed to have carried the pests for over 10,000 years.

The tiny itchy creatures are about 1.5mm long and live for about a month but a female can lay around 30 eggs in that time.

The treatment for ridding one’s self of the pubic pests is relatively straight forward with creams available to remove infestations or alternatively suffers can simply remove the hair.

This story was originally published in The Sun