Apparently the purse strings, as well as the heartstrings, can become strained during the course of a break-up, with research conducted showing the average cost of a separation in Britain being £13,500.

Alliance & Leicester reports that 92 per cent of people do not consider the possibility of breaking up when entering into joint purchases, so when it does happen it results in the final expenditure being a much bigger shock.

The results of the survey show that only one per cent of those asked had signed or considered signing a contract dealing with how purchases would be divided should the couple split, while only a further three per cent had made a verbal agreement.

Claire Alvey, Alliance & Leicester personal loans manager, said: “It is understandable that most couples buy things together… However, if a couple separate it is going to be hard on the wallet as well as the heart.

“There are serious emotional issues that are quite rightly at the top of the agenda, especially if children are involved, but the cost of splitting up can last longer than the heartbreak itself, ” Ms Alvey added.

Many people moving on from a relationship use a personal loan to help ease the burden on their finances, but uncompetitive interest rates can lead to further problems.

Alliance & Leicester says that the difference in the total repayments could be as much as £1,400 and therefore such an “overpayment could seriously affect your ability to enjoy your new single status”.

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