TIME waits for no man, especially in the crazy world of love, which is why Chiswick residents have found a speedy solution to searching for a soul mate.

Speed dating has arrived on Chiswick High Road, giving those looking for love just three minutes to meet their ideal partner. While 180 seconds may seem a bit of a brief encounter, organisers say the small time scale is perfect. After all, if you don't like your date the agony of making small talk is short-lived.

I went along to a recent event, held at Est Est Est on Chiswick High Road, to see if Cupid could fire his arrows quick enough to catch the daters as they sped through their liaisons. Having a boyfriend and being one year shy of the 25 - 50 age bracket I was a mere wallflower, but it enabled me to sit back and watch the quick courting fun.

Sweetmeets, the company behind Chiswick's newest quest for love, was set up 14 months ago. After three minutes of conversation participants rate their partner on a form. Any mutual liking results in Sweetmeets swapping their email addresses.

Organiser Miranda Llewellyn decided to set up the company over lunch with a friend: "I had a feeling in my loins that speed dating would be the next big thing."

Around 30 people attended the event, a carefully co-ordinated number of boys and girls, as Miranda explained: "When we were researching the idea we went to a few events, which were dire. There would be 15 girls and five boys. So we changed the format and did it our way, in equal numbers."

As a result of this balancing act Sweetmeets often has a waiting list for events, in fact several people were waiting at the bar in the hope of being able to join in. Pre-booking is therefore essential, but at £15 a time, or £25 for two friends, it is one of the cheaper speed date events in the city.

However, this does not mean the company compromise on quality (although the looks of the participants cannot be guaranteed!) Miranda and her husband Paul pride themselves on giving a personal service and try to ensure that they meet all those involved during the evening. They also wait on the couples as they sit and chat.

Those on the dating circuit include plumbers, lawyers and French polishers. Miranda has deliberately avoided separating events into different age bands in order for clients to meet a variety of people.

Success rates appear to be quite high. The events have already led to several co-habitations, although there is no Cilla style wedding on the cards just yet.

"But love is not necessarily the main aim of the events, as Miranda explained.

This sentiment was echoed by dater 17 (participants are given numbers to make the process easier): "I've come here really to meet people in general, but it's a plus if I meet someone of the opposite sex." And this dater thought three minutes was more than ample to gain that all important first impression: "I think sometimes you can tell within the first minute of meeting some one if you like them or not. It all depends on the eye contact."

Those looking for lasting love should be warned - with only three minutes, blink and you might miss it. Visit www. sweetmeets.co.uk or call 020 8977 0108.