The government has unveiled new measures to prevent credit card companies from increasing limits without consumers’ knowledge.

It hopes this will put an end to irresponsible lending, as many people find themselves at the mercy of credit card companies throughout Britain.

Proposed by the department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, it is intended that the measures will help those who forget how much they are made to pay back in high interest payments.

"We are not convinced that legislation is the best way forward and will end up disadvantaging some of the customers it is intended to help but we, like the government, want to ensure that vulnerable consumers are protected," commented Apacs, the UK payments association.

It adds that the credit card industry is committed to managing its customers’ debts effectively, although those who are in difficulty can also seek advice from a debt management company.

Earlier this month, Apacs announced that £1 billion is processed every day through its faster payments service, which equates to five million payments.

It was launched in May last year and allows customers to make and receive immediate payments.