Shropshire divorces rise for first time in decade

The rate of divorce in Shropshire is increasing for the first time in almost a decade – and the economic downturn is to blame for breaking up families, a county law firm claimed today.

Family law specialists Mortimers Solicitors, which has offices in Bridgnorth, Shrewsbury and Hereford, said today that financial pressures were largely responsible for statistics revealing that the number of divorces rose last year for the first time since 2003.

The firm said that over the last 12 months it had seen more clients filing for divorce than usual, largely due to the effects of the economic situation.

The number of divorces in England and Wales rose by 4.9 per cent in 2010 to 119,589 compared with 113,949 in 2009, according to the Office for National Statistics. That was the first annual increase in divorces since 2003, when there were 153,065 divorces.

The number of divorces fell steadily between 2003 and 2009 in parallel with the decline in the number of marriages, as more couples choose to cohabit rather than marry.

However, the family department at Mortimers is expecting to handle even more matrimonial cases than usual over the next few months, especially in January which traditionally has a very high divorce rate.

Today Bryony Walker, a partner at Mortimers who spends her time between the Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth offices, said it was an unfortunate fact that economic problems had led to more divorces in the UK.

Mrs Walker said: "Come January people seem to want to make a clean start so we are expecting a busy month. It is even harder for people with the property market as it is.

"Reaching a final resolution is not easy and this just increases the agony. Many people are forced to stay in a failing relationship because the financial crisis means they cannot afford to leave."

Mortimers are celebrating the successful move of its Shrewsbury office, which is based in Windsor Place in the town centre.