A MAN had to sell his home after being told he owed £93,000 for a £8,000 loan he did not know his late wife had taken out.

Cynthia Padgett borrowed the money to pay for a holiday to celebrate the couple's 25th wedding anniversary.

But their dream trip to the Far East left husband Colin facing a financial nightmare.

Since finding out about the loan following his wife's death, Mr Padgett, 59, from Skelton, east Cleveland, has suffered a heart attack. He was forced to sell his home, and now lives in a council house.

Mrs Padgett, who died in 1998 from a brain haemorrhage, borrowed about £8,000 as a second mortgage in 1991 from a company called Ocwen.

Mr Padgett, a lorry driver, said: "My wife dealt with our finances and when she died I was thrown in at the deep end. She was a good wife and worked so hard - running her own caf and snack bar.

"She only did what she thought was right."

The company had been paid £31,000 out of the couple's joint account when Mr Padgett approached Redcar and Cleveland Citizens' Advice Bureau (CAB) for help.

According to the CAB file, he was told he still faced £93,418 in repayments, interest, fees and non-payment charges.

After months of negotiations with the company, it reduced the debt to about £17,000.

Dennis Ramsey, manager of Redcar and Cleveland CAB, said: "We deal with a lot of debt problems, but this kind of debt is not common.

"I have a lot of respect for Mr Padgett - it isn't easy to come and talk to strangers about debt problems.

"But to actually put your picture in the paper to help others is very courageous."