1 in 10 couples blame Net for break-ups

The Internet has become a major factor in the collapse of relationships, marriage guidance charity Relate said today.

One in 10 of the 90,000 couples who turn to Relate each year blame their problems on internet pornography, email relationships and obsessive web-surfing.

Relate chief executive Angela Sibson said: "It is yet another potential threat to relationships, on top of existing threats such as long working hours."

Websites such as Friends Reunited, which allows former schoolfriends to contact each other by email, can threaten relationships as old flames get back in touch with each other.

Internet use is highest among people aged 25 to 35. "This is a peak time for people's first relationship to break up and it is also the age when many people get married for the first time," said Stephen Bagnall of Relate.

Relate is launching an email service to allow people to receive advice online.