Online dating service, Cupid has said that the company has recorded an increase of 12 per cent in its revenues to £43.4million during the first six months of the year.

The company, which runs sites such as MatureDating UK and UniformDating, recorded higher revenues as an increasing number of customers in the UK, US, France, Canada, Germany and Australia increase usage to find partners online. The Edinburgh based firm

Cupid chief executive Bill Dobbie said, "On both sides of the Atlantic and in developing economies, we see continuing evidence of growth fuelled by an ever-increasing social acceptance of the offering and the ubiquity of mobile."

Dobbie spoke against "deeply frustrating" accusations against his company's practices. Cupid faced criticism over claims that some of the users were attracted to pay for the service through messages from users but when they joined the site, those users did not exist. The company refuted these claims and said that it operates in a legal and appropriate manner.

He said that the criticism of his company has been shown to be without substance and said that he is certain over the future of online dating. Cupid has 54 million members in 58 countries and is expecting to record pre-tax profits next year.