CHRISTMAS has been cancelled for another year in homes across the region.

For scores of Teesside families there will be misery under the mistletoe as people struggle with crushing debts.

Council officials offering free advice are helping people struggling with debts totalling £798,000.

Redcar and Cleveland Council's consumer-money advice line has taken on 99 new clients this year, more than a quarter of whom are single parents. The average debt per client is £7,200.

Chief Trading Standards Officer Jeff Bell says the sheer volume of case work 'speaks volumes, showing that when credit turns into the headache of debt, misery is around the corner.'

He blames the problem on borrowers taking out personal and bank loans they cannot handle, unwise use of credit and store cards and tax related problems.

Mr Bell said: "We all sometimes end up spending more than we can afford and can all too easily be caught up in the spirit of Christmas through attractive marketing campaigns that spur us on to push the boat out too far.

"But our message is clear and simple," he said.

"We would advise people to think twice before overstepping the mark. We would say, don't make decisions based solely on the weekly payments. Don't ruin your future with too many, 'buy now, pay later' schemes."

Mr Bell is urging borrowers to seek his department's free advice before considering a so-called consolidation load or debt repair loan, which may reduce the monthly payments but could seriously increase the total amount payable