HIGHER Folds is the divorce capital of England.

Figures released this week reveal that more divorced people live on the Leigh housing estate than anywhere else in the country.

According to Census statistics one in six - or 16.02 per cent - of residents living on the 1200-house estate were divorced by 2001.

Of the 1,831 people over 16 in the area, 296 were divorcees - nearly twice the national average of 8.2 per cent. In Greater Manchester as a whole, 169,319 people over the age of 16, or 8.70 per cent, are divorced.

Reports published by the Office for National Statistics, which used information gathered by the 2001 census, revealed the social, religious and demographic habits of the British population.

But Higher Folder and ex-Mayor Jimmy Jones -- who has lived on the estate for nearly 50 years -- isn't surprised at the figures.

"It's just life," said Mr Jones, whose wife, Doris, died last year after they had been married for 52 years.

"People who have parted want a place of their own and start life again and some of the properties around here are ideal for them. That could have some bearing on the figures."

At St Gabriel's RC Church on the estate, where there were just two weddings in 2000, priest Fr David Heyward accepted the area's position at the top of the country's divorce league.

"There are relationships which have broken down irretrievably and that's a sad fact of life," he said.

"There are also a lot of very young marriages these days -- perhaps they are getting married too young and haven't thought about it enough."

The Census showed that more than half of Higher Folds residents have no access to a car or a van -- more than anywhere else in England and Wales.

It is the only urban area to have an average of less than 0.6 cars per household compared to a national average of 1.48. One in eight adults are unemployed.