CAB debt enquiries surpass 9,000 a day

The number of people in debt who are contacting Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) for help in managing their situations has risen to more than 9,000 a day, it has emerged.

According to the charity, caseworkers are handling approximately 9,300 new enquiries each day and talking to 8,000 people experiencing benefit problems, as a consequence of the recession.

For the three months to the end of June, CAB reported an increase of 27 per cent in people contacting the service due to problems with repayments on loans and other borrowings. Benefit enquiries had risen by 22 per cent for the same period compared to 2008.

“Our new figures show that what started out as an emergency service in wartime is needed now more than ever as the recession continues to take its toll,” David Harker, the body’s chief executive, said.

Last month, the head of campaign group Which?, Peter Vicary-Smith, suggested that those in debt would benefit from help from the Financial Services Authority.

By Sarah Adie