My wife won’t grant divorce

I split from my wife after 18 years. We own a house jointly, are retired and have substantial pensions. Our children are grown up and have their own families. We’ve been living separately for 18 months but she won’t agree to divorce. How can I move things on? The DIY or simplified divorce procedure is available to you in six months. You don’t need your wife’s consent to the divorce if you have been separated for two years. That’s assuming there are no financial matters to sort. The cost to lodge at court is £123 and you don’t need a lawyer. Stephen McGee paid £6995 deposit for a bespoke staircase.

He chose a wrought iron design from Handmade Stairs (Scotland) Ltd.

But the firm billed him for the balance (another £6995) when the job was nowhere near finished.

Stephen, 44, of East Kilbride, said: “The standard of work is appalling. It’s not level, has marks, is rough and there are big gaps.”

The insurance boss complained and a joiner was sent out. He said: “He agreed it needed to be replaced. A manager later said it was the worst work he had seen.”

Stephen demanded his cash back and noticed the firm were trading under a different limited company name.

Handmade Stairs said: “We are aware of the quality issues and it is our intention to fix these.

“We won’t pursue any remaining balances until these are resolved.”