Debt charity helpline figures soar
A debt charity has revealed it has seen a "sharp rise" in the number of people contacting it seeking help.
During the first three months of the year, the Consumer Credit Counselling Service received 93,234 calls, 34% more than during the same period of the previous year.
The group warned that the large number of people who had contacted it for help with debt so far in 2010 suggested that it would receive a record number of calls during the whole of the year.
A total of 335,323 people contacted the group's helpline in 2009, the highest number it had ever received.
The figures follow research from accountancy company RSM Tenon which estimated that a record 14,000 people were declared insolvent during March.
The group revealed that the number of people going bankrupt or taking out an individual voluntary agreement or debt relief order during March was 16% higher than the previous record, which was set in November last year.
It expects 150,000 people to go insolvent this year, dwarfing 2009's record of 134,142.
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