People in debt 'go without food'

Many of those in debt have been aggressively pursued by creditors

Almost half of people seeking advice on debt from Citizens Advice Scotland have gone without food or fuel to pay what they owe, the organisation has said.

It published seven reports which it said illustrated the "miserable realities" of life for people in debt.

The reports suggested that lone parents, elderly people, young people and the sick and disabled were hardest hit by debt.

Citizens Advice Scotland (Cas) called on MSPs to take action over the issue.

Cas said that its clients aged over 60 had the highest average level of debt, owing an average of £26,010, an increase of almost 50% in the past two years.

More than one third of Cas clients said they were ill or disabled and two in five said they were in debt because they were ill.

What these figures reveal is a picture of real misery for many people Kaliani Lyle Cas

Lone parents had an average debt of £19 for every £1 they earned, up from £14 five years ago.

The average level of debt for 16-24-year olds has almost doubled since 2004, the organisation said.

Two in five of those people surveyed said they had to go without food or fuel to pay debts, and one third said they have had to borrow money from family or friends.

About a quarter of those asked said they had to take out a loan in order to pay off another loan.

CAS, the umbrella body for citizens advice bureaux around Scotland, said creditors were being more aggressive in pursuing debtors.

It called for politicians to help people who are in debt by creating stricter regulation of lenders, offering more affordable sources of credit and providing a budget to create good-quality debt advice groups.

'Broken economy'

Kaliani Lyle, Cas chief executive, said: "What these figures reveal is a picture of real misery for many people. Large numbers of our population are struggling just to get by.

"We need action in the long term to fix our broken economy, so that people are never again in this position.

"But in addition to that we need action in the short term as well, to help these people who are suffering the misery of debt today."

A debate on the issue will take place in the Scottish Parliament later on Thursday.

The seven reports are based on the results of a survey of 275 people who came to Cas with a debt enquiry in December 2008.