Level of debt in region is highlighted by new service

In less than three weeks of operating, the service by Christians Against Poverty (Cap), being run in conjunction with Durham's Emmanuel Church has received a flood of calls.

Based at Front Street, Framwellgate Moor, it offers comprehensive advice and support of a level unavailable anywhere else locally.

After receiving an initial telephone call from someone troubled by debt, manager Janet Adams arranges to visit them at home.

She and her team sift through the person's bills, identifying which need to be paid urgently and contacting other creditors to negotiate with them. Clients whose debts are considered too great for them to tackle are put in touch with the Insolvency Service, with Ms Adams acting as their advocate in court if necessary.

No matter how extreme their situation, she pledges to banish people's debts within four years.

Ms Adams said she had been staggered by the response so far.

"I've been inundated with inquiries," she said.

"I can only take on one new client per week, and I have clients waiting until October to be seen.

"The response has surprised me - it just shows the scale of the problem in County Durham."

Ms Adams said that inquiries had come from all over the area, from people of all ages and incomes.

"Some people are on benefits, some are in well paid jobs and have just mismanaged their money, and some have had a change in circumstances, like a bereavement," she said.

"We've had all ages, from students to pensioners."

Among those seeking help have been people who have run up huge debts on their credit cards.

Ms Adams said it highlighted the problem of how easy it was to obtain credit.

"I wasn't surprised to hear from people in well-paid jobs because nowadays, everyone uses credit cards," she said.

"We are living in a society of buy now, pay later."

Ms Adams said the service was obviously needed and might utilise volunteers more to cope with the demand.

The centre can be contacted on 0191-375 0148.