Now Playing

More than 1,000 couples applied for online divorces in first week of lockdown

30 July 2020, 11:31 | Updated: 30 July 2020, 11:37

There were 1000 applications for online divorces in the first week of lockdown. Picture: Getty Images

The divorce rate has spiked as couples are forced to spend more time together over lockdown.

It looks like the pressure of lockdown has really got to couples in the UK, as there were more than 1,000 online divorce applications in one week during March.

The country came to a standstill on 23rd March in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus, with offices, restaurants and hundreds of other public buildings temporarily closed.

And according to The Sun, this took its toll on marriages as 1,001 web petitions were filed by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) in the week of March 23 and March 31.

Divorces are on the rise after lockdown. Picture: Getty Images

Divorce lawyers have also seen a rise of more than 50% in enquiries during the pandemic.

Concerns about finances, job loss and an increased amount of time spent together were just some of the catalysts which have seemingly put a strain on relationships.

Top divorce lawyer Ms Vardag, who has her own firm Vardags, told The Sun: "Not only has everyone been stuck together for a hugely extended period, they have also been subjected to the pressures of lockdown.

“With financial and work stresses high, alcohol consumption across the UK through the roof, domestic violence figures terrifyingly elevated and a lot of people just really very fed up with this person that they used to be able to avoid now being around all the time.”

Dr. Ranj offers advice to couples social isolating due to coronavirus

This comes after Co-op Legal Services claimed they saw a 42% increase in the number of people asking how to end their marriage from March 23 to mid-May, compared with the same period in 2019.

And the UK isn’t the only country facing the struggles, as Bloomberg reported a divorce spike in China in March after couples emerged from weeks of extremely strict lockdowns.

The city of Xian, in central China, and Dazhou, in Sichuan province, both experienced, "record-high numbers of divorce filings in early March,’ which lead to a huge backlog at government offices.

A study from the University of Washington also revealed that divorces increase after holidays when couples spend more time together, which is why January is known as ‘divorce month’.

Now Read: School faces major backlash after demanding children's face masks have to match uniforms