Bank charges can be a "savage blow" for people who are already struggling to deal with their money problems, it has been claimed.

According to Marc Gander, founder of the Consumer Action Group, charges levied for unathorised overdraft use have left thousands of people with a seriously damaged credit record.

As a result, many people who have been charged in this way by their banks find it difficult to gain credit and in some cases borrowing money becomes completely impossible, Mr Gander suggests.

With this in mind, the consumer champion maintains that the ongoing court battle over the fairness or otherwise of bank charges will have to take some account of the damage these fees have done in many cases to an individual’s ability to borrow, he maintains.

Last month, Citizens Advice urged British banks to stick to their own code of practice and not charge customers who are clearly struggling with debt management and money problems.