COUPLES should tread carefully in their relationships at this time of year because, according to experts, they are more likely to break up.

Autumn is the time when a blazing row is most likely to erupt between couples because of a mixture of factors culminating in the end of summer.

Relationship experts claim post-holiday depression, domestic chaos, financial strain and lack of sunshine all contribute to the high possibility of a relationship meltdown.

John Rynne, chair of Bournemouth and Poole Marriage Care, a voluntary organisation, says it’s one of their busiest periods.

“There’s a peak after Christmas, and another peak around September and October. Holidays can be quite stressful – it gives people time to reflect. Holidays can often make or break a relationship,” he explains.

Sean McNally, head of family law at Ellis Jones solicitors in Bournemouth, said they had seen a 50 per cent increase in their workload over the past few months.

“Traditionally we always experience an increase in January, but this year we didn’t.

“I think people were reluctant because of the recession, and felt there was no point putting their house on the market, so decided to stick it out a little while longer.

“However, this last quarter we have been so busy that we’re now looking at the possibility of taking on more staff.”

John, one of six qualified counsellors at Marriage Care, says people often don’t know what to do when a relationship starts to go wrong.

“Relationships are the cornerstone of everything.

“If you’re in a happy, stable relationship, you can work most things out. But if you’ve got poor partnerships, no matter how good everything else might be going, it just takes the point out of life.

“When they start going wrong there aren’t many places you can go to get help… there isn’t a government agency and GPs aren’t really geared up for it.”

John stresses that although the organisation is called Marriage Care, its volunteers support all types of relationships. “We’re committed to supporting all types of relationships – not just married couples, but people living together or those in gay relationships too.

“We see happy stable long-term relationships as the cornerstone of family life and healthy communities.

“Most relationships, around 70 per cent, start as a co-habitation, and it’s easy to take a relationship for granted.

“If you were about to embark on something that you knew had a 50 per cent failure rate, and it’s the biggest thing in your life, you would think you would give it a lot of time and effort. But in some ways we go into our relationships giving them less thought than we would if we were buying a new car!”

l For more information go to marriage care.org.uk.