Citizens Advice ‘not surprised’ by bad debt levels

Speaking to the Times, a spokeswoman for the bureau added that it was not just down to the banks, warning that consumers should be careful with their debt management and not take on more than they can afford to repay.

“It doesn’t surprise us, because all banks are reporting increasing levels of debt,” said the spokeswoman. “It does, however, mean that lenders should always make sure that people are able to repay the money before they agree to loans.

“At the same time, people should be wary of borrowing more than they can realistically afford.”

Her comments are in response to news from Barclays that it had to write off £1.1 billion of bad debt last year, around £140 for each of its customers.

A debt management plan and good advice can help consumers defaulting on their debt and the problems this can cause.