FOLLOWING on from our advice in last week's column, City of York Trading Standards is supporting the Office of Fair Trading's newly launched major debt advice campaign.

With total consumer credit debt, excluding mortgages, reaching £168 billion and average consumer debt at over £6,800 per household, Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver, who plays debt-ridden Eileen Grimshaw, has lent her support to the Office of Fair Trading campaign, In Debt? Help Yourself Out! which is aimed at helping people with debts they are unable to control.

The advice to those in debt is:

Don't panic or ignore the problem, it won't go away:

Seek impartial advice

Contact those to whom you owe money - they may be able to help

Keep copies of all letters you send and get about your debts

Prioritise your debts - like mortgage or rent, or those which cost you most.

Penny Boys, the executive director of the Office of Fair Trading, said: "Coping with debt early on is the key to avoiding serious problems. You should act as soon as the bills start to mount up or payments on credit agreements are missed. Don't bury your head in the sand and hope it will go away - it won't."

Debt is bad enough to cope with at any time of the year, but with Christmas rapidly approaching, the pressure to spend more grows. If you are in debt, think very carefully before borrowing more to pay off their debts. No one should rush into signing an agreement. It is best to seek impartial advice and to ensure that the full costs of any new deal are fully understood, for example arrangement fees, the length of the deal and any further penalty payments.

Debt is at an all-time high:

The total consumer debt (including mortgages) is £906 billion

The total lending to individuals in September 2003 was £10.7 billion

Twenty-three per cent of people do not know how much they owe

One in four people use credit to pay household bills and meet day-to-day expenses.

The OFT has produced a pocket guide called Smart Tips If You're In Debt, which is available from City of York Trading Standards. If a credit business has contravened the Consumer Credit Act we can take action. If you want advice about whether a creditor or debt collector is acting unlawfully, for example by harassing you, contact us. We can also help find sources of independent and free money advice.

For further information about credit, where to go for impartial advice, or any other consumer matter, contact City of York Trading Standards on (01904) 551562 for advice or to make an appointment. You can also look at our website at www.york.gov.uk/business/tradingstandards.

Updated: 09:12 Thursday, November 27, 2003