Marriages across Brighton and Sussex dropped by a record amount during the first years of the pandemic, new statistics show.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics found that the number of marriages in 2020 fell by nearly 5,000 from 2019 figures.

The slump in ceremonies, put down to the closure of registration services and postponement of services due to Covid-19 lockdowns, amounts to a 61 per cent downturn.

Rich Pereira, from the ONS, said: “Restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic have had a marked impact on the number, timing and characteristics of marriages taking place in 2020 compared with previous years.

“Marriage rates in 2020 have more than halved compared with 2019 and have fallen to their lowest on record.

“Future analysis will show whether there is a rise in marriage rates in 2021 as restrictions were lifted.”

The fall in marriages in the region matches the national average for marriages in 2020, which also fell by 61 per cent.

In 2020 just 2,505 marriages took place across Brighton and Sussex, whereas over 7,500 took place in 2019.

A larger fall was recorded in wider East and West Sussex compared to the Brighton and Hove area where marriage rates were roughly halved.

In Brighton, 596 marriages took place in 2020, while 1,350 ceremonies ran in West Sussex and 859 took place in East Sussex.

The ONS figures show that every region in the UK saw a decrease in marriage rates as a result of lockdown restrictions.

Many couples were forced to cancel or postpone their nuptials while other ceremonies and parties were dramatically scaled down due to government restrictions.

The age distribution of those getting married was also older than the previous year with men being older on average than woman.