Civil partnerships could be scrapped by the Government as figures suggest the union has been killed off by the introduction of same-sex marriage.

The Equalities Office announced that it would consult on the future of civil partnerships ahead of a Supreme Court case beginning on Monday which aims to open them up to heterosexual couples.

A document published on Friday sets out plans for a new consultation to assess whether there is still enough demand among same-sex couples since the law was changed to allow them to get married in March 2014.

It says that figures show there has been a "significant fall" in the number of civil partnerships, which are only open to gay couples, which have been created since the change to the law.

While 6,305 were registered on average each year between 2007 and 2013, the number fell to 890 in 2016, a slight rise on the previous year, when a low of 861 were registered.

It said previous consultations "did not suggest a significant number of opposite-sex couples wished to enter civil partnerships" but that further work was required to to assess true levels of demand.

The Government has asked the ONS to include questions about civil partnerships as part of its Opinions and Lifestyle Survey.