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ONS points out fewer successful marriages

Half of marriages in the UK will fail, a new study from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows.

According to the body, 45 per cent of married couples will split up should current trends continue.

This is up 11 per cent on the 1979 figure - and provides further evidence that getting divorced has become less of a taboo in recent years.

Around half of these divorces occur within the first decade following the wedding - with just 15 per cent splitting after 20 years of marriage.

Failing marriages also have a knock-on effect on the home loans sector - as cohabiting couples who both work often share mortgage repayments.

Being left suddenly single can therefore increase the monthly financial burden, leading to debt or even home repossession.

The ONS' statistical release showed that the provisional number of weddings for 2006 - around 237,000 in the UK - was the lowest for over a century.

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