SOS's for debt and housing advice hit record high

2:40pm Sunday 10th August 2008

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Requests for debt and housing advice have hit an all time high, according to a leading charity.

Brighton Housing Trusts said has experienced a dramatic rise in people needing help to cope with the credit crunch and rocketing prices.

The organisation’s legal advice centre, Queens Road, Brighton, has reported a 50 per cent jump in the number of cases it has dealt with in the past three months - up from 60 to 90.

The amount of time spent on the waiting list has also risen from one to two weeks to three to four.

BHT’s debt adviser Lex Lewis said: ìThe number of people seeking debt advice is often seasonal with summer traditionally being a quiet time.

"But this summer has seen a dramatic rise in my case load with numbers rising by a third.

"My workload has become so great that I am not able to take on any new clients until I have worked through the backlog." The legal advice centre has also seen a large increase in the number of people struggling to meet their mortgage repayments as they come off their fixed rate and are forced to pay premium rates that they cannot afford. This is BHTís most heavily relied upon service, working with more than 10,000 people each year.

The news emerged as the Council of Mortgage Lenders revealed that the number of properties repossessed has risen by 48% in the past year.

Some 18,900 repossessions were made in the six months to June, up from 12,800 in the same period last year.

The sharp rise is being blamed on the economic slowdown which has made it harder for some home owners to repay mortgages.

Last month, The Argus reported that hard-up families were going hungry to pay soaring fuel bills. Citizens Advice Bureaux across Sussex have also reported an increasing number of calls from people struggling to cope.

In some areas, the effect of increasing prices coupled with the rising cost of food is making people go without meals so they can reduce their debts.

Cases of debt have soared by a quarter in the past financial year and the problem is becoming the biggest facing CAB volunteers.

For more information contact BHT on 01273 234737 or visit www.bht.org.uk.

See the Argus on Monday for the story of Bradley and Sharon Balman's battle against debt,