CITIZENS’ Advice Bureau advisers in Prime Minister David Cameron’s Witney constituency are having to deal with unprecedented levels of inquiries about debt.

And they have seen one of the highest increases in such inquiries in the whole country.

The head of Witney Citizens’ Advice Bureau said staff had dealt with calls from 4,339 people worried about their debts over the past year, compared with 2,931 the year before – an increase of 48 per cent.

The average rise reported by CABs across the UK was 28 per cent.

Manager Barbara Shaw said the leap in calls was “one of the largest increases of any CAB in the country”.

She said she had expected the number of people needing help at its Marlborough Lane premises to level off, but had instead seen calls continue to rise.

She said: “If we carry on at that rate, we expect the number of people to be over 20,000 by the end of the year.

“It’s a worry to our service, of whether we’re going to be able to keep pace with the increase in demand we foresee as coming our way.”

Overall visits rose from 14,500 to 18,868, an increase of 29 per cent compared to 18 per cent elsewhere.

The number of people visiting because of housing issues rose by 47 per cent, from 927 to 1,424. The average elsewhere was 14 per cent.

She said she did not know why the district had seen such a large increase, but said: “At the beginning of the recession there were businesses in Witney that were particularly affected, such as banks, building societies, high street shops and small businesses.

“Those were the types of people coming for help at that particular stage.

“Following on from that, those people who had difficulties with employment are now having difficulties with managing their finances.”

Amongst those who were helped by CAB was Witney single mother Melinda Farrar, 48.

She said she fell into debt after her partner left and had to take out a £10,000 loan to care for her four children, now aged 20, 18, 13 and 12.

But she found her benefits slashed when she took on a carer job and sought help.

Threatened with the “devastating” prospect of eviction and, having no where else to turn, she visited the CAB in Witney.

The Westfield Road resident said: “My whole life I’ve tried not to rely on other people, but this time I couldn’t do it on my own.”

The organisation immediately provided her with food for her children, and has since helped to write off most of her debt.

She said: “I am so grateful to them – everyone who works in that little place is just amazing.

“I feel a lot happier now and I feel like things are looking up.”

l For more information, call Witney CAB on 01993 705691 or see the website westoxoncab.org.uk