THE number of people seeking help with debt problems on the Yorkshire coast has soared, according to the local Citizen's Advice Bureau (CAB).

Marie Galloway, manager of the Scarborough and Whitby CAB, says in its annual report that staff dealt with 16,533 pleas for help in the past year, and helped 9,178 people.

"The rise in debt inquiries reflected the fact that local employment prospects tend to be short-term and low-paid," she said.

She warned that the CAB's workload was likely to rise further, with an increase in the number of people claiming to have been unfairly dismissed or made redundant.

The CAB has been given a grant of £10,000 by Lloyds TSB and £1,400 by the Friends of CABs towards installing computer equipment.