North East Debt Problems Revealed

The StepChange charity is warning that the North East has a growing debt problem and Christmas could only make it worse.

The group say the average debt for people they help across our region is more than £12,000.

Jennifer Drew in Seaham was left strugging to cover costs at around this time of year three years ago.

While she was pregnant, she found out she would be getting just half of her maternity leave money and just a few days later her partner was made redundant.

Jennifer told Metro Radio it was a very scary time.

"It was just one blow after another. We got to the point where we had got a couple of cans of food and a loaf of bread, I remember waiting in line and just being absolutely terrified of hearing that 'sorry your card has been declined'. But it was for some meagre shopping that would see us through the week."

Well StepChange say many North East residents are still facing a daily struggle with debt. Figures released today show 4348 people in our region called its helpline for advice in the first half of 2015 with average debts of £12,115.

After they had paid all their essential bills, they had an average of just £4 left each month.

The figures coincide with their new report, Navigating the New Normal, which shows that more than 1 in 5 Britons are currently showing at least one sign of financial difficulty.

2.6 million of them are in severe problem debt and 73% of that number suffered at least one ‘income shock’ in the last year, such as job loss or a reduction in hours.