Ed Sheeran’s debut album ‘+’ has been revealed as the most illegally downloaded album in the UK of the past year, with Brighton boys Rizzle Kicks and American superstar Rihanna also proving popular.

According to a new study, the singer-songwriter’s album has been the subject of piracy more than anything else in 2012, with the record receiving over 55,000 illegal download requests each and every month.

Young British artists prove to be popular in the countdown, with Rizzle Kicks’ album ‘Stereo Typical’ weighing in at second, and Jessie J and Olly Murs featuring in the top five. Lovers turned fighters Rihanna and Chris Brown are the only US artists to feature in the top ten.

Emeli Sande’s debut album, ‘Our Version of Events’, places at number six in the list. Considering that her Olympic appearance catapulted her profile to make her the best-selling artist of 2012, it’s interesting to think how her sales would have fared had those illegal downloads converted into over-the-counter sales.

Manchester was found to be the area most affected by piracy, with the city being home to over 400,000 downloads each month. Other cities following closely behind included Nottingham, Southampton, Liverpool and Sheffield.

In total, 43 million albums were illegally downloaded in UK during the first half of 2012.