Couples divorcing in Britain face an average bill of more than £13,000, new research out this week reveals.

With 157,000 marriages in Britain ending in divorce every year, research by Norwich Union reveals that more than £2 billion is spent by divorcees in the initial twelve months.

The research found that property is the biggest item on the bill with more than a third (35%) forced to sell their home to cover the cost of their divorce.

Becoming an ex also means raiding personal savings to supplement funds. 41% use, on average, £6,250 from a savings account which equates to a national withdrawal of around £800 million each year.

Divorce tops the grief list with almost half (46%) of those surveyed ranking it as the most stressful experience, above bereavement and redundancy. And because of this, 40% of divorcees said they would never marry again.

A typical divorce settlement takes more than a year to negotiate but 60% of those questioned ended their marriages amicably. They also said that an amicable parting makes little difference to the final bill. Other facts and figures include:

• 28% found it stressful to adjust to single parenthood and 26% found it hard to establish a new social circle.
• Maintenance payments were paid or received by less than a third (30%) of people interviewed. Some 6% agreed a lump sum payment.
• One in five people (20%) spend cash on items that they would not have bought if not divorced, with a holiday coming out as the top treat and a shopping spree a close second.
• Only 2% of people questioned had a pre-nuptial agreement but more than one in four said they would have been better off had they had one drawn up prior to their wedding.
• Legal experts remained the primary source of practical advice during a divorce with 51% turning to their solicitor for guidance. A further 35% looked to family for support while 30% relied on friends. Only 7% valued advice from support organisations or counsellors.

Louise Goffee, of Norwich Union, said: “Divorce is a traumatic experience for all involved even when the separation is amicable. Not only is it an emotionally stressful time but the experience can add to money worries and increase pressure on the family coffers.”

“Real life can throw up lots of surprises and sometimes that can mean that we face tough times as well as good. With four out of ten marriages ending in failure, divorce is a situation that some of our customers may have to deal with at some point during their lifetime.”

“We undertook this research to try and understand our customers’ spending patterns so that we can help them to plan for the future. This is particularly necessary as concerns about the savings gap begin to grow.”