Cheating website offering divorce money as competition prize

London - A British website has set up a competition that encourages extra marital affairs and offers to pay for the divorce if they get caught.

Couples, who are on the brink of splitting are generally in need of counselling, comfort and advice.

But the cheating website has decided to take advantage of couples at their lowest ebb by attempting to recruit new members with the launch of a crass Win A Divorce competition.

Visitors to Maritalaffair,co,uk are required to enter their email address to be in, with a chance of winning a monetary prize of 1,800 pounds towards legal fees involved in a divorce, the Daily Mail reported.

The competition was launched following the most recent figures from the Office of National Statistics, showing divorce rates increased 4.9 per cent in 12 months – the first rise in divorce rates in eight years.

Additionally, ONS figures also reveal the rate of divorce is now 200 times higher than 100 years ago, despite the rate of marriage being comparatively lower.

The insensitive competition has sparked fierce debate nationwide, with a radio show on BBC Newcastle dedicating a debate to the issue.

Sharon Kell, founder of Coco Moon, a dating site in Newcastle, told the show: “It has to be morally wrong on every level to encourage you to have an extra-marital affair, and then say ‘by the way if you get caught we’ll pay for your divorce’ – that is surely wrong on every level.”

Paul Graham, Managing Director of Maritalaffair.co.uk, defended the competition: “People have an increasing desire to make the most of their lives, and if that means moving on to a new relationship then so be it.

“To make things more difficult, many people feel compelled to cheat because they can’t afford the legal fees associated with filing for divorce.

“We’re giving someone who isn’t happy in their marriage a ‘get-out clause’ from the costly process of ending it,” he added.