Divorcees do like to be beside the seaside: Costal towns have UK's highest number of residents from broken marriages with Blackpool top of the list Experts think trend is down to newly-separated people heading to the coast Older population living near the sea also thought to be a factor Major cities were revealed as having the lowest proportion of married people Maybe it's something in the sea air - or the legacy of their kiss-me-quick culture. But seaside towns have more divorcees than anywhere else in the country. Just 12 areas of the UK have a proportion of divorced people higher than 11 per cent - and they are all on the coast, according to newly released census figures. Blackpool tops the list, where nearly one in eight residents are survivors of a broken marriage. Hastings is the centre of seaside divorce in the South, with a similar figure to its northern counterpart. Experts think the trend may be caused by newly separated people heading to the coast to start a new life. There are also more likely to be divorcees among the generally older population of seaside towns. Deprivation is not thought to be a factor, as many coastal divorce hotspots are comparatively well off. Middle-class Torbay in Devon, for example, is third on the list, while the Isle of Wight, Weymouth and Worthing also feature. The data, included in the newly published 2011 census, reveals a UK average of 8.8 per cent. Figures show a divorcee proportion of about 11 per cent in the northern districts of Barrow-in Furness and north-east Lincolnshire, which includes the ports of Immingham and Grimsby and the resort of Cleethorpes. In East Anglia, 11.4 per cent of the population of Great Yarmouth is divorced, while Weymouth and Torbay in the West Country both have proportions higher than 12 per cent. Every area on the list is either a resort or has one nearby - such as the naval town of Gosport, which includes the popular beaches of Lee-on-the-Solent. Nowhere in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland - or inland anywhere - has a proportion over the key 11 per cent mark. The Office for National Statistics, which published the figures, has offered no explanation for the phenomenon. However, high rates of break-ups come amid concerns over the failing economies of many seaside towns and questions about joblessness, benefit dependency and low education levels. Harry Benson of the Marriage Foundation think-tank said: "It is tempting to imagine husbands and wives separating in, say, East London, then going to the seaside for a new life. High levels of pressure and noise in cities can lead to divorce. Is it something in the sea air? Nearly one in eight residents in Blackpool are survivors of a broken marriage There is evidence that low income is an indicator of more likely family break-up. However seaside towns tend to have an older population and it may be because there are more older people that there are more divorcees. The highest level of separation among couples is in inner city areas, but that is not where the divorcees live. The census figures also showed that major cities had the lowest proportion of married people. In Islington, North London, only 24.8 per cent of the population are married - but only 7.4 per cent are divorced.