Trading Standards officers are urging residents who are in the red to make it their New Year resolution to take control of their finances.

There are no details of the amount of debt Oxfordshire residents are in, but nationally consumer credit debt -- excluding mortgages -- is higher than ever.

The average debt is more than £6,800 per household and one in four people use credit to pay household bills and meet day-to-day expenses.

Oxford City Council is trying to recoup £100,000 in unpaid rents in the week before Christmas. The council said tenants were failing to pay their rents as they struggled to meet the pressures of the festive season.

An investigation by an Oxford Mail reporter showed that it took just a couple of hours on one shopping trip to get into more than £4,500 of debt, by signing up for store cards.

Now Oxfordshire County Council has joined the Government's advice campaign In Debt? Help Yourself Out! to encourage people to stop "hiding their heads in the sand" and control their spending.

John Farrow, the county council's executive member for community safety, said: "People are under increasing pressure to spend, spend, spend, particularly at Christmas, and can often run up huge debts through store cards, credit cards and easily-obtainable loans.

"But interest rates are creeping up now and I would urge anyone worried about their level of debt to do something about it and avoid the heartache and worry that it can bring."

The OFT has produced a guide, Smart tips if you're in debt, which is available from Oxfordshire Trading Standards on 01865 815000, or online at www.oft.gov.uk

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