Which UK Towns Have the Most Debt?

A new survey by the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) has created a debt map of the UK. Do you live in a high-debt area, or are you on top of your finances?

Have you ever wondered how much debt your neighbours have? If so, new research released by the CCCS is about to give you a clue.

Over the course of 2010, CCCS clients had an average unsecured debt of £19,338 across the UK. This figure only covers credit cards, personal loans and other unsecured credit – it doesn’t include mortgages.

Overall, Shetland had the lowest average personal debt of £12,278, while Slough topped the list with a mean figure of £24,946.

The survey also gives an indication of how personal debt is spread across the country. Notably, people living in the South are more indebted than those the North – the average debt in the North East was £18,254 in 2010, while in the South East that figure rose to £21,581.

Of the top ten most indebted postcode areas, nine are in London and South East – the only northern town in the list was Crewe, in Cheshire, which had an average of £23,177.

Average unsecured debt in Scotland was £17,069 and in Northern Ireland hit £18,855.

Commenting on the results, Martyn Saville from consumer group Which? said that the most surprising thing was how uniform the high debt levels were across the country.

He also added that, after factoring regional differences and high inflation, it was actually the north of the country that was most at risk from unmanageable debt.

Moneyhighstreet says: “Unsecured debt is one of the biggest problems facing UK households – but there are ways to manage it.

“Firstly, seek independent debt advice. An independent advisor will be able to assess your financial situation and make recommendations based on it.

“Ultimately, it really comes down to making sure that your income exceeds your expenses, so that debts can be paid down consistently – until then, we have useful articles on how to help manage your credit cards and unsecured loans.”