BRADFORD residents are searching for divorce more often than any other town or city in the UK, according to new analysis of Google search trends by divorce solicitors, Cordell & Cordell.

Searches for ‘divorce lawyers’ in Bradford were the highest of any town or city in the UK between March and October, beating out other major metropolitan areas such as London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol and Cardiff.

Nationwide searches for divorce were up this summer by 20 per cent year-on-year.

The new research comes as legal experts and Citizen Advice anticipate a UK ‘boom’ in divorces due to the ‘enormous strain’ that the pandemic has been having on marriages.

Cordell & Cordell solicitors say that they have seen a rise in divorce enquiries since the pandemic, with lockdown restrictions exacerbating existing issues in relationships or making it harder for partners to hide extramarital affairs. 

Siobhan Vegh, divorce lawyer at Cordell & Cordell, said: “We have been seeing a surprising number of enquiries from people exploring their options, either because of existing issues in their relationships that have come to a head while isolating together, or because one spouse has been caught out as being unfaithful.

“Often, unfaithful spouses are less able to hide and maintain extramarital affairs without leaving the house and minor disagreements can become intensified.”

Top 10 towns and cities with the highest search demand for divorce solicitors (between March and October 2020): 1. Bradford 2. Ilford (East London) 3. Hull 4. Belfast 5. Birmingham 6. Leeds 7. Glasgow 8. Liverpool 9. Leicester 10. London