Personal Debt Grows

Increasing numbers of 18 to 34 year olds are being plunged into debt, according to a survey.

Figures show the number of people in the red has risen by 41% compared with a year ago.

It's estimated the average amount owed in Fife is £11, 000.

According to MoneySuperMarket two thirds of UK adults admit they currently have some form of unsecured borrowing, either on a credit card, personal loan, overdraft, store card or finance agreement. 

50% of Brits owe money on a credit card, while 23% are in debt through their overdraft and 12% have taken out a personal loan.

Dan Plant, consumer expert at MoneySuperMarket said: "This research begs the question whether the economic recovery being celebrated by politicians is simply based on a rapidly climbing debt time-bomb. 

"Not only are personal debts up by 40% across the board, with under 35s worryingly seeing what they owe more than double in just a year, they are being paid off more slowly than a year ago. This suggests the British public may be robbing Peter to pay Paul, with the increased consumer spending we've witnessed just a by-product of this - which would be hard to sustain. It was borrowing at excessive levels that was one of the contributing factors to the economic crisis so we must hope we aren't witnessing a repeat of mistakes of the past."

"The crucial question anyone with outstanding debts should ask themselves is "am I paying the lowest interest rate possible?" The lower the rate, the faster you will repay what you owe - even if you can't afford to increase your monthly repayment. It may be better to consolidate multiple debts onto a cheaper form of credit, such as credit card that charges zero per cent on balance transfers, or opt for a low rate credit card if you think it will take longer to pay your debt off. Alternatively a low-rate loan could be a viable option. 

"Work out how much you can realistically pay off each month, whether you can make any spending cutbacks, and stick to your plan - then it'll be much easier to get back to black."