Dozens of British women separated from their husbands by immigration rules gathered outside St Paul's in their bridal dresses today, as they demanded the right to a family life on Valentine's Day.

Under rules introduced 18 months ago, British people cannot bring foreign-born spouses to the UK unless they earn £18,600 a year.

Among the women attending the flash mob event were Rachel, whose Albanian husband has only ever seen their son on Skype, and Hannah, whose army salary still leaves her earning £17 a month too little to be able to bring her American husband to the UK.

The St Paul's flashmob, which took place at 11:30 GMT, was organised by the Divided Families initiative.

The group campaigns for a change in the law, which is thought to affect over 17,000 couples a year.