Laden with debt
PEOPLE in Andover are among the most debt-ridden in the country, according to a credit report published last week.
Figures released by credit reference agency Experian show that people in the town owe an average of £4,315.44 on top of mortgages - putting it in the top 20 of most in-debt places in the UK.
Ange Moon, manager of Andover's Citizens Advice Bureau agreed with the findings, saying their debt programme was so busy they are having to direct people with money problems to other organisations.
CAB workers are also recommending bankruptcy to some of their clients who owe the most.
Mrs Moon said: "We have about 500 debt clients on our programme and we are actually in a situation at the moment where we are helping clients look at other alternatives because of our workload."
She said rising living costs and the availability of credit, as well as long-term health problems and redundancies were among the main reasons for people speaking to the charity about debt.
Analysts at debt charity the Consumer Credit Counselling Service said that super-inflationary rises in basic living costs are making it tougher for people who owe money.
In its annual report, the charity found that cumulative rises in day-to-day expenses, especially housing and utilities, affected everyone, not only the least well off.
Andover MP Sir George Young, who spoke on the growing volume of consumer borrowing during last week's budget debate, said: "My advice for people who are finding it difficult to cope would be to contact those they owe money to and share the problem with them. This is far better than doing nothing and hoping the problem will go away."
8:02am Friday 28th March 2008
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