The £10,000 debt burden of the average family (and that doesn't include £1.24trillion in mortgages)

Families are approaching Christmas weighed down by average debts of more than £10,500.

The huge sums – which come on top of mortgages – generate punishing interest and penalty charges at a time when people need every penny to cover essential bills for food, heat, light and transport.

However, the many who are suffering the biggest squeeze on living standards in peacetime simply do not have any spare cash to pay off what they owe.     Read Here