LONDON: Extramarital affairs are cited as the most common reason for divorce in the UK and Wales, accounting for 29 per cent of break ups, a survey revealed on Monday.

The survey of 100 leading divorce lawyers in England and Wales pointed out that growing numbers of people are divorcing because of "mid-life crisis".

Extramarital affairs were the most common cause of marriage breakdown for the survey's fifth year running, accounting for 29 per cent of divorces in 2007, down from 32 per cent the previous year. But mid-life crisis took second place for the first time, rising from 2 per cent in 2006 to 14 per cent last year. Family strains were the third most common cause, at 11 per cent.

The report, from chartered accountants Grant Thornton, published in The Guardian on Monday, found that two out of three lawyers surveyed had at least one client in 2007 who hired detectives to shadow a spouse suspected of cheating.

Tamara Mellon, founder of the Jimmy chooshoe empire, was spied on by private investigators hired by her husband, Matthew, during an acrimonious divorce last year. But in 64 per cent of cases the suspicious spouse was the wife.

"While it might seem like an extreme length to go to, people just want to know the truth - even if it hurts," said Andrea McLaren, head of Grant Thornton's London matrimonial practice.

According to the survey, 78 per cent of the straying spouse is usually the husband. The percentage of cases in which the wife is the guilty party dropped from 31 per cent in 2006 to only 22 per cent in 2007.