Widow tells of £40,000 debt shock

A Swindon woman has spoken of her shock after her husband died, leaving her with £40,000 of debts.

Janet Bailey said she had no idea of their financial difficulty until her husband Roger's death in August.

Although she is not liable for all of the debts, she said she has to sell the family home in Liden because she cannot afford the £1,000 a month mortgage.

Mrs Bailey said the house would be repossessed by Christmas if was not sold by then.

She said she was angry, but also sad, that her husband could not speak to her about the cash problems.

Hidden problems

"I really felt angry with my husband although we were married 29 years," she said.

"I felt I didn't know my husband. He'd hidden all this from me. He must've come home from work at times when he knew I wasn't home to take the post.

"He didn't talk to our friends, he borrowed money off his brother. I just felt so angry."

Her house in the Liden area of Swindon was on the market in April for £220,000, but she has had to drop the price to £179,000, hoping for a quicker sale because of the sluggishness of the housing market.

"A lot of [the debts] have been written off. But I can't afford the mortgage," she said.

"It's £1,000 a month, there's no insurance to cover the mortgage, with the climate the way it is, the house isn't selling.

"I feel angry, but I also feel sad. It must have been awful for him, I think he was doing it to protect me, so I didn't have to worry."