SOLICITORS say they have been pushed to open a new office in Colchester following a 25 per cent increase in divorce cases.

Kerseys has opened a new appointments office in The Crescent at Colchester Business Park to meet the demand.

The move comes after the Office for National Statistics reported an increase in the number of over-60s in England and Wales opting to divorce.

It said there has been a 75 per cent rise in the last 20 years.

Kimat Singh, a partner at Kerseys in charge of the Colchester project, said: “While on the face of it this may seem like sad news, in reality older people are now divorcing because they no longer feel they have to stay in unhappy relationships.

“People’s life expectancy has increased and many couples reconsider whether they really want to grow old together.

“There is less of a stigma attached to divorce compared to the previous generation, so people no longer simply ‘settle’.“

He added: “People tend to be more financially independent, which means they can afford to go their separate ways.”

Kerseys, which is based in Ipswich, launched its new Colchester office on Thursday.