EAST Lancashire couples are turning to prenuptial agreements to protect their assets before marriage.

Solicitor Ian Brunt of law firm Haworth and Nuttall said he had drawn up 10 agreements this year, up from around eight in previous years.

He said: “The couples I am seeing are much more aware of the legal and financial implications of marriage.

“There has been a definite increase in inquiries, and I would say this is thanks in part to a number of recent high profile break-ups and also the now often reported statistic that one in four weddings end in divorce.”

This year Mr Brunt has also been involved with a ‘post-nup’ – an update of a prenuptial, and has been asked for advice from couples who are going through their second marriage and are keen to protect their assets from their previous marriage.

Currently the agreements are not legally enforceable in England and Wales.

However, the Law Commission has reported it will consult on their use this year.

Pre-nups have until now been seen as the preserve of rich celebrities in the States, such as Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas – she is guaranteed $2.8million for every year of marriage, plus a $5million bonus if he is caught cheating.

It is said that she thinks prenups are ‘brilliant.’