Fights over property delaying divorces

A fifth of divorces in England and Wales are delayed because of rows between former spouses over inexpensive possessions.

Research by family law firm Pannone found that even seven-figure separations were held up because of bitter disputes about ownership of items often worth no more than a few hundred pounds.

Analysis of break-ups handled by the company and colleagues elsewhere across the country showed that ex-husbands and wives were prepared to run up costly legal bills in order to win custody of collections of CDs and paperback books, picture frames, screwdrivers and hairdryers.

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Fiona Wood, a partner in the Manchester-based firm, said some former spouses were often so unwilling to back down that disputes could only be resolved by tossing a coin.

She said: "It seems that such arguments are a common feature of cases handled by divorce lawyers throughout the country. The division of assets, even many millions of pounds worth of property and investments, can often be dealt with quite simply, meaning that much of the tension and anger which builds up during a divorce is invested in what's left; namely, the contents of the marital home.

"Some of those items may only be worth a few hundred pounds but couples become determined not to give ground despite suggestions that they seek a compromise.

The amounts spent on legal costs arguing about them are often many times more than the value of the things they're actually fighting over but they put up with the expense in order to prove a point to their exes."

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Pannone said its findings were based on the outcome of more than 1,000 divorces across England and Wales over the last year.

Ms Wood said the type of articles people fought over sometimes came as a surprise not only to lawyers but their former partners.

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