Consumers struggling to keep up with repayments on credit cards are being told to carefully consider their debt management plans to avoid getting in to serious trouble.

They need to confront the situation and rectify it as soon as possible, explains Tom Howard, spokesperson for Consumer Credit Counselling Service.

"Your first step should be to make a strict and truthful budget that will set out your finances and help you see where you are overspending, can cut back, and such like," he commented.

Failing to meet even minimum payments, borrowing cash on a credit card and using one card to pay off another are signs that Brits could be getting themselves into serious financial difficulties, Mr Howard continued.

He advises anyone with debt management issues to speak to their lenders and get financial advice from an expert.

Latest figures from the Citizens Advice Bureau show that enquiries relating to debt increased by 13 per cent in the year to the end of June 2009, compared to the previous 12 months.

Enquiries relating to bankruptcy were up by nearly a quarter to 137,406 in 2008-09.