Divorce - do it online

A divorce site has been launched in the UK to allow couples to separate over the web with minimal negotiation.

divorce-online.co.uk allows couples seeking consensual divorces to settle their differences for a £55 divorce petition fee.

The online divorce site claims to be cheaper and quicker than the traditional offline method. The total cost of a virtual divorce is £235 including court fees, whereas a traditional divorce procedure currently costs between £350 to £500 depending on court fees.

The site was set up by a legal executive Mark Keenan who told silicon.com: "Last year there were 190,000 divorces in the UK and there is a gap in the consensual divorce market. This is the market catered to by the site - those situations that do not require large-scale negotiation. The claims are more straight forward than if you have large stakes in property, or children to consider, for instance."

Keenan sees the web as positive form of communication for people undergoing a divorce. He explained: "In our society people often feel fragmented and the web is a great place to communicate and reduce the sense of isolation during separation."

Dating services will follow in due course and further expansion plans are in the pipeline, according to Keenan.