Consumers are continuing to have money worries

More people are seeking debt help as they struggle to manage their finances, a new report has claimed.

Citizens Advice Cymru has recorded a 13 per cent increase in the number of inquiries in the financial year 2009-10 when compared to the previous 12 months.

Its statistics show that debt is still the biggest area of advice, as it makes up 38 per cent of all matters it deals with.

Within this category, arrears to private bailiffs appear to be the most common, as they swelled by 78 per cent year-on-year.

Fran Targett, director of the organisation, noted: “We know from our frontline that the human impact of the recession is far from over for people who have lost their job or their home, or both, in the past two years.”

It follows comments by John Hughes, director of retail products at the Co-operative Bank, who observed that individuals need to pay closer attention to their financial situation, or else they may run the risk of needing debt help.

By Rory Mallon