Councillor Nicola Turner from Yorkshire’s Colne Valley has said despite students accepting that their education was likely to push them into debt, it still concerned them.

She made her comments to the Huddersfield Daily Examiner as she talked to first-years arriving at Huddersfield University.

Councillor Turner commented: "It is difficult to understand the logic of foisting an enormous debt burden on the very people who should be the country’s wealth creators in future."

It is "absolutely wrong" that students are graduating with as much as £20,000 worth of debt, she argued.

A recent survey by online student guide Push revealed student debt now tops £4,000 for each year of study undertaken.

Last month the National Debtline, a helpline for those facing financial worries, warned that debt was becoming the norm for students.

A spokesperson expressed concern that young people were especially vulnerable to debt and becoming more used to being overdrawn.