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Fears over mortgage arrears and family measures have got led to a rush in the figure of people seeking aid from the Citizens Advice service.

A study of more than than 300 offices, compiled for the BBC, establish a 35% rise in mortgage questions in January and February compared with 12 calendar months ago.

Rising family measures also contributed to 215,000 new debt jobs taken to the service in January and February.

But the figs also showed that recognition card debt jobs were down by 9%.

'Worrying trend'

Nearly a 3rd of the 5.7 million new jobs dealt with by staff at Citizens Advice bureaux in 2006-7 concerned debt, making it the greatest single issue they faced.

sum DEBT

Most indebted1. Richmond-upon-Thames2. Putney3. Kingston-upon-Thames4. Windsor5. Wandsworth

Least indebted1. Dumfries2. Chesterfield3. Merthyr Tydfil4. Skegness5.BangorSource: Experian

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In the first two calendar months of 2008, mortgage questions leapt by 35% compared with January and February last year.

The study follows warnings from the Council of Mortgage Lenders that predicted a rise in repossessions in 2008 owing to the recognition squeeze, after a 21% rise last year.

"It is a distressing tendency that our bureaux are reporting very crisp addition in the figure of mortgage arrears jobs they are dealing with," said Mother Teresa Perchard, Citizens Advice manager of policy.

Squeeze on households

She added that the study also painted a distressing image of families struggling to ran into their basic life costs, such as as utility, telephone set and council taxation bills.

One agency offered advice to a single adult male with multiple debts who faced combustible measures amounting to more than than 20% of his income.

Another proverb a handicapped adult female whose lone heat was from storage warmers and who disbursement £30 of her £70 hard cash a hebdomad on electricity.

"The combination of large additions in family bills, especially fuel, and rising lodging costs is putting further pressure level on people's finances when they are already stretched to the limit," said Multiple Sclerosis Perchard.

Credit card restraint

Despite traditional Christmastide excess, recognition card debt jobs brought to the cab drop by 9% inch the first two calendar months of the year, although overdraft issues were up 7% on the same time period a twelvemonth ago.

MORTGAGE debt CHANGE

Highest rises1. Northern Ireland2. Kensington3. Chelsea 4. Wandsworth 5. Wolverhampton 6. Aberdeen 7. Rotherham 8. Hammersmith 9. Manchester Central 10. Occident BromwichSource: Experian

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The autumn in recognition card debt was mirrored in figs by recognition mention federal agency Experian.

It claimed that loaners had been more than choosy about who they offered recognition to, even before the recognition crunch started last summer.

This meant that an detonation in recognition card usage was prevented.

But Experian said that homeowners had also heeded warnings not to overstretch themselves by hitting the plastic.

"The flat, almost negligible, growing in recognition card balances proposes that consumers themselves have got also taken a more than responsible attack to borrowing," their study said.

It said consumers were looking to take down cost or more than low-cost credit, as well as cutting down on adoption altogether.

recognition card debt CHANGE

Highest rises1. Penzance2. Bromley3. Skipton4. Eastleigh5. Bromsgrove 6. Abergavenny 7. Newbury 8. St Helens 9. Beverley 10. Newark On TrentSource: Experian

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Total outstanding balances on United Kingdom borrowing, reported to Experian by lenders, rose by 9.24% over the last 12 months, slowing from a 14% rise over the former year.

Facing up to debt

The Experian research proposes that people inch Richmond-upon-Thames were the most indebted, although Northern Eire showed the greatest alteration in entire debt, up 23% in the last 12 months.

The cab said people in debt should state their creditors consecutive away if they were facing troubles in paying and agency staff could assist set together payment plans, explicate the options and guarantee any entitled benefits were being claimed.

At the other end of the scale, the least additions in debt came in Aldershot, Dartford, Ilford, Bishops Stortford and Newport on the Isle of Wight, said Experian.

The least indebted country was Dumfries.

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