People in the UK owe more money than ever before. As it becomes easier and easier to borrow, whether in the form of credit cards, loans or countless other personal finance options, we are lured deeper and deeper into the debt trap, often to the point where we face an overwhelming financial burden that we have no means of repaying. Figures from the Consumer Credit Counselling Service reveal the extent of this problem – the number of service users in ‘extreme’ debt (owing more than £100,000) rose from 1.4% to 2.7% in just one year from 2004 to 2005.

Such debt problems are often compounded by a lack of understanding of financial matters, leading to poor decisions that send debt levels soaring even further out of control. Many individuals, for example, attempt to juggle their borrowing by taking on new loans or credit cards to repay others, thereby creating an even more tangled web of debt and often paying even more interest on top of that already owed.

Worse still, a great number of people find themselves spiralling more and more towards financial insolvency by failing to admit that they have a debt problem in the first place. Debt is very easy to get into but very difficult to get out of unless it is tackled quickly. Ignoring payment notices and credit card bills may sweep the issue under the carpet for a short while, but in the long term it serves only to exacerbate the situation as the interest mounts up and the payment notices become ever more demanding.

So if you’ve fallen behind in paying your bills it’s important to confront the problem before it escalates out of control. The first step is to analyse your finances. Work out your monthly income and expenditure to identify how much money you have left for debt repayment. Then make a list of all your debtors, dividing them into priority and non-priority debts. Priority debts are debts that could lead to legal proceedings against you and could have serious consequences. For example, you could lose or be evicted from your home for mortgage or rent arrears, your gas or electricity supply could be cut off as a result of outstanding fuel bills, you could face bankruptcy or imprisonment for non-payment of income tax or VAT, or you may have goods repossessed by bailiffs for unpaid child support or council tax bills. Non-priority debts are not secured against your home or belongings and will not result in repossession of essential items. Examples of such debts are credit card or store card bills, catalogue account or hire purchase arrears, bank overdrafts or unsecured personal loans. The next step is to contact your creditors to explain your financial circumstances, outline your budget and negotiate a repayment plan. You should be able to come to an arrangement that is realistic and manageable for you, although you may end up having to pay more interest over the long term to account for smaller repayment instalments. It’s best to make some kind of regular payment to each debtor, but if this is not possible, ensure that you make payments towards the priority debts first.