People who overspent at Christmas will face the prospect of debt troubles over the next few weeks, according to an expert.

Susan Hales, Citizens Advice casework supervisor for money advice at Grimsby, Cleethorpes and district area, made her comments to the Grimsby Telegraph, explaining that as the credit card bills arrive in the post, many debtors realise they cannot manage.

However, she added that there is no average level of debt experienced by those with money problems.

"One person can come through the door with £100 worth of debt and find that as crushing as someone else who has £75,000," Ms Hales continued.

She warned debtors to consider what payments should be their main priority, highlighting that while failure to pay a credit card bill could lead to court action, failure to pay a mortgage could cause the loss of the family home.

Recent research by accountancy firm Grant Thornton predicted that 28,000 people face bankruptcy during the first three months of 2008, of which a third are likely to be facing insolvency as a direct result of their Christmas spending.