Come clean over divorce disaster, courts told

JUDGES and ministers were yesterday told to come clean about blunders that mean couples who won divorce orders are still married. Lawyers said officials should reveal how many people were granted legal break-ups in error.

They couples are being informed that their divorces are null and void, according to High Court guidance.

Any who have remarried will have unwittingly committed bigamy. The blackout on official information on the extent of the problem means thousands of people who thought their marriages were legally at an end will now question whether they are really divorced.

Sarah Snow, who is a senior partner in the Stowe Family Law firm, said: ‘I would imagine this is a significant blunder. Too little information causes panic.’

The blunders appear to have happened at the 11 divorce centres in England and Wales.

Sir James, who is in charge of family courts, has said that any ‘defective’ divorces must be struck down but has given little other detail. The Ministry of Justice has declined to comment.