£2bn Christmas debt risk

According to its research, 59 per cent of shoppers leave gifts in cars, often in sight of potential thieves in their car, while 68 per cent leave receipts in the bags with the goods.

This makes it hard for them to claim in the event of theft, or simply allows the thieves to return the purchases and get money back on a refund.

Andrew Goodsell, chief executive of Saga, urged people to take care over their gifts. He warned that unless people were insured for such losses, they could be forced into debt to re-purchase their gifts.

Insurance can often act as part of a good debt management plan, but simply take care of belongings and looking after possessions and gifts can also help.

With Christmas also a time for billing up excess credit card debt, looking after presents can help restrain growth of even more.