SCORES of couples are expected to head to their solicitors today – as lawyers mark “Divorce Monday”.

It is so-called because of a spike in the number of couples ending their relationships after spending a stressful Christmas together.

Relate Swindon and Gloucestershire, said they see peak in calls over the Christmas and New Year period.

The charity, which offers relationship counselling, said they had seen a 20 per cent increase in January last year compared to the average month over the previous 12 months.

Relate’s chief executive, Chris Sherwood, said: “The reality is that many of the calls we receive in January are from couples who are already at crisis point after existing relationship tensions have come to a head over Christmas.

“With one in five people in the UK in a ‘distressed relationship’, we’d urge anyone who isn’t getting on with their partner to seek support as early as possible.

“Contacting Relate is a positive step - we can help people in all sorts of situations to work out what’s next for their relationships.

“Whilst divorce isn’t a decision which people tend to take lightly, we’d urge people to consider counselling before signing on the dotted line.

“Counselling can help couples to improve communication, increasing their chances of staying together but equally it can help the couple to make the decision to go their separate ways if that’s what’s best for them.”

According to figures from the Office for National Statistics, 42 per cent of marriages end in divorce. The average union lasts 12 years.

Relate say that one in 10 divorcees feel they could have saved their relationship with counselling.

One in five said that counselling would have eased the split.

Family lawyer Bryan Scant of Coffin Mew LLP, which owns Old Town firm Charles Lucas & Marshall, said that the first working day of the new year had a reputation for being when most people hire a lawyer for their divorce.

He said: “As ‘Divorce Monday’ approaches for 2018, those couples that had a blistering row over the Christmas turkey can breathe a little easier.

"My experience is that many January divorces are hangovers from the previous year, where couples have put off dealing with formalities over the Christmas period.

“The age-old ‘New Year, New Start’ approach has its part to play too. It could be argued that this is no different to couples who leave matters in August when the schools are out, then resume in September, but anyone with a social media feed can see that people’s New Year reinvention plans are almost inescapable.

“Regardless of timings, divorce is not a something to be entered into lightly. Discuss with your spouse in the first instance to try and keep things amicable, before getting in touch with a solicitor to formally progress matters.

“There is no point in delaying or dragging it out and my advice would always be that if you have decided that your marriage is over then formalise it, for everyone’s sake.”

To speak to relationship charity Relate, call: 0300 100 124.