A rural outreach programme helping residents to escape debt problems has been closed because of a lack of funding.

The service, run by the Citizens' Advice Bureau in Hawes, Leyburn, Reeth, Catterick Garrison and Colburn has ended, and a home visit scheme has also been cancelled.

The announcement means Richmondshire residents will have to travel to Richmond to meet one of the service's trained advisors.

Angie House, Richmondshire CAB manager, said staff were saddened by the decision.

"It is a terrible situation that such a successful and necessary service has to close," she said.

"It will have a huge impact on the residents of Richmondshire in most need who have no one else to turn."

She added: "Unfortunately at a time when the Government has highlighted the issues of the pressures facing residents of rural communities and their lack of access to services, we have to close the service that helped to address these problems."

One job will go because of the closures.

The main service in Richmond is funded by North Yorkshire County Council and Richmondshire District Council.

However, CAB bosses had to find extra funding to pay for the outreach program based in a number of community offices, also at the Almond Tree Project in Catterick Garrison and the library in Colburn.

The announcement of the closures comes after an application for a £30,000 grant to the Local Strategic Partnership, run by the county council, was refused.

The money would have come from £2m set aside from council tax collected from second home owners.

County councillor Carl Les said the bid was refused because the bureau had already received money from the second homes fund.

"The criteria of the fund does not allow continual funding of projects," he said.

"I hope we can modify the criteria because I don't see where else funding will come from.

"The service receives no money from the Government, yet the Government is continually signposting people to go and use their local advice bureau."

The service has been running for the past six years.

During this period the bureau as a whole has dealt with nearly £6m of debts for clients - much of this through the rural outreach programme.