Single men are likely to build up higher levels of debt than single women, figures showed today.

The Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) said men aged between 25 and 39 who asked for help typically had about £14,910 of unsecured debt, compared with women's £11,416.

When income levels were taken into account men also had higher levels of borrowing, with an average debt to income ratio of 16.32 - meaning they owe more than 16 times their net monthly income.

This compared with a debt to income ratio, also known as a debt stress level, of 13.05 for women and 13.66 for couples.

CCCS, which looked at more than 50,000 people who asked it for help, said men may not have acquired the day-to-day budgeting skills many women had, particularly as among couples women tended to take responsibility for how much they and their partners spent.

It said this left men particularly vulnerable to getting into debt following a divorce or relationship breakdown, both of which were major triggers to debt problems.

Malcolm Hurlston, chairman of CCCS, said: "The levels of debt stress experienced by male CCCS clients are a cause of concern.

"Our findings indicate much more effort must be put into basic financial education for young males."

Wednesday May 7