Many of the country’s couples are failing to talk about the extent of their debt management problems with each other, it has emerged.

A study from Sainsbury’s Finance showed 18.5 per cent of people in debt are hiding their issues and eight per cent regularly miss bill payment deadlines.

"The current economic climate is only exacerbating many people’s personal financial concerns and our research highlights that there is a huge temptation to stick your head in the sand and hope it all goes away," said Karen Horsburgh, head of Sainsbury’s Money Matters.

She believes people need to tackle their debt management problems head on before they have chance to get worse.

The research also found that some people are making extravagant purchases without their partner’s knowledge and 3.59 million delay opening their bank statements.

Beccy Wilks, spokesperson for the Money Advice Trust, recently echoed these calls for immediate action on debt, saying it is "vital" to seek help earlier rather than later".

People also need to make sure they receive enough information to make an informed decision, she added.