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Beware 'divorce hour' - the peak time couples decide to take the plunge

 12 per cent of its enquiries during the busy second weekend of January came in between 10pm and 6am, with similar levels seen during the whole of December.  - E+
12 per cent of its enquiries during the busy second weekend of January came in between 10pm and 6am, with similar levels seen during the whole of December. - E+

January is said to be the busiest time for divorce - but now we also know the peak hour for unhappy couples to decide they want to take the plunge.

"Divorce hour" - the busiest time for online enquiries - is between 12.30 and 1am, with 15 per cent of overnight queries coming during this window, according to one set of figures. 

Figures suggest couples are increasingly likely to decide they want to split during the small hours of the morning.

The Co-op said 12 per cent of its enquiries during the busy second weekend of January came in between 10pm and 6am, with similar levels seen during the whole of December. 

Britain's most expensive divorce pay outs
Britain's most expensive divorce pay outs

This is more than double the levels seen during the same periods in 2016 and 2017. 

45 per cent of overnight enquiries came in between 10pm and midnight, and 24 per cent were between 3am and 6am. 

The figures suggest couples are having crisis talks late into the night which end in a decision to split. 

They often make the first approach in the early morning and have their first meeting just hours later. 

But a sizable proportion are also coming from one half of the couple acting alone, experts said. 

Tracey Moloney, head of family law at Co-op Legal Services, said: "We are seeing more enquiries late at night - I don't know if it's because they just want to make some enquiries without their partner knowing or if it's because they are anxious and can't sleep.

"We are also seeing a spike on a Sunday afternoon. We think that potentially people finish their working week, Saturday can be rather busy, and then Sunday they have lunch with the family and turn their attention back to their spouse."

She added that the greater availability of smart phones and tablets made the first step easier to reach, with people more likely to begin their divorce via Google instead of waiting to make a call during working hours. 

"We have seen a real increase in people who don't want to come to the office and talk about it face-to-face, they're more likely to do it all online now," she said. 

Harry Benson, of the Marriage Foundation, said: "Having a smartphone by the bed undoubtedly allows us to execute decisions at unusual hours, for better or worse."

But, he added: "One in ten couples don’t get much further than the divorce application. So it’s never over until it’s over."

But Ms Moloney added that second thoughts were rare as the chance of a couple changing their minds was slim. 

"We don't see many reconciliations. We don't have many divorces that don't go through whether they're started at 1pm or 1am. 

"In the last five years I've probably done one where we get so far and then you get an email saying we're going to give it another go. They are so, so rare," she said.