Many Britons are paying out more in credit card interest than they need to, which may lead them to require debt management services, it is claimed.

New research from Abbey credit cards shows more than £9 billion is wasted in this way every year, with 69 per cent of Britons owning at least one credit card.

"At a time when people are having to manage their finances more carefully, transferring to a 0 per cent deal is a sensible way of ensuring your money goes further," comments Callum Gibson, head of credit cards at Abbey.

He adds that people need to effectively manage their credit card debt, which currently stands at £3,256 for the average Briton, the findings show.

Men typically have more credit card debt than women, Abbey reveals, with Londoners having the highest level of debt and those in the Midlands the least.

According to a Bank of England statistical release, the increase in total net lending to individuals in December was higher than the November increase, while spending on credit cards decreased by 4.8 per cent in December 2008.