Government initiatives to give consumers more breathing space will hopefully give them more confidence to approach a debt advisor, it is claimed.

Frances Walker, spokesperson for the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS), says people need to learn to seek help as soon as they have a problem, which they are now likely to realise sooner as credit is less available.

"Then there are other things like unemployment and people struggling to repay their mortgages, so I think the nature of debt is changing a bit," she continues.

Furthermore, Ms Walker believes people’s debt management plans are becoming more complicated as the situation surrounding their cashflow problems also becomes more intricate.

The amount that people owe is down in relation to their salary, she adds, although a proportion of the population still faces debt problems.

Statistics from the CCCS show although people with debt problems are better off and owe less money – with the exception of the over-60s – they are finding it harder to repay their debts.

It claims it is likely to be because the combination of rising unemployment and a falling housing market is creating a fundamental shift in the nature of the UK’s debt.