CHRISTMAS has been cancelled for another year in homes across the North-East.

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

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

Redcar and Cleveland Borough 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 amount 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 cards 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 which spur us on to push the boat out too far.

"But our message is clear and simple. 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 "consolidation" loans or debt repair loans, which may reduce the monthly payments but seriously increase the total amount payable.