Young British consumers across the country are in real danger of entering a devastating cycle of personal debt problems, it has been claimed.

According to a new report from the charity group Rainer, a third of the 18 to 24-year-olds it surveyed had less than £5 per week after their most pressing debts had been paid off.

"One unexpected expense can see their debts spiralling out of control and this has a devastating impact on their lives," said chief executive of Rainer Joyce Moseley.

The research by the charity also discovered that close to half of the young people they polled had a personal debt burden worth in excess of £2,000 and a fifth were more than £10,000 in the red.

Rainer’s report follows a study by the mental health charity Mind that suggested debt problems are causing serious psychological strain for millions of Britons.