Romford is revealed as London’s divorce hotspot in new figures from the Ministry of Justice.

Nearly 1,800 couples filed for divorce at Romford County Court - which primarily covers Havering, as well as parts of Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham - between October 2011 and September 2012.

That’s more than at any other London court, and the fourth-highest figure in the UK.

The data were revealed this week as Family Justice Minister Lord McNally urged divorcing couples to seek mediation rather than court proceedings.

“When working out how to split assets and arrange time with the children, mediation is a far simpler and cheaper approach for everyone and leads to better outcomes,” he said.

“We are changing the law so all couples seeking a court order about child contact or a financial matter must attend a mediation information assessment meeting first, to consider whether mediation is suitable for them.”