The number of Brits ‘moonlighting’ in a bid to supplement their incomes, has more than doubled in just twelve months according to online freelance marketplace PeoplePerHour.

Those registering on the site to earn extra cash alongside a full or part time job has risen by 112 percent to just over 193,000. A recent poll of moonlighters revealed that a surprising 60 percent are taking on extra work just to pay their heating bills or to cover the weekly food shop. The figures also revealed that the majority (72 percent) of moonlighters are so-called ‘five-to-niners’, working in the early evenings on top of their full-time nine-to-five day jobs, while more than half (58 percent) work weekends. A quarter (25 percent) are making the most of their lunch hours, by selling their skills in small chunks of time, while 18 percent shun sleep and work through the night to earn some extra cash.

Those surveyed are selling a range of skills to increase their incomes – not only professional skills for small businesses such as design, bookkeeping and copywriting, but ‘hobbyist’ skills too, such as fixing bikes, walking dogs, writing best man speeches, date planning and researching family histories. Most ‘moonlighters’ (38 percent) are clocking up an extra 6 to 10 hours per week on top of their day jobs, although a committed 26 percent are working 15-20 hours extra per week and a surprising seven percent are working an impressive additional 21-25 hours per week.

Why are people turning to ‘moonlighting’? For almost four in ten (39 percent), it seems moonlighting is keeping them from serious financial trouble: 22 percent are taking on extra work in a bid to pay down debts, while 25 percent are doing so to pay off their summer holidays. Worryingly, over a third (34 percent) are moonlighting just to be able to afford to heat their homes during the winter months. The figures also revealed that Liverpool and Manchester are UK hotspots for moonlighting. Over the past 12 months alone, the cities have seen an increase of 163 percent and 161 percent respectively in the number of full-time employees taking on extra work. Bolton isn’t far behind with an increase of 148 percent.