Problem debt reaches £7m.

Friday 23rd May 2008, 2:29PM BST.

THE Citizens Advice Bureau was busier than ever last year. It handled a record 7,611 enquiries, an increase of three per cent.

Calls to counsellors rose by eight per cent as 160 clients with £7m. in unmanageable debt sought help. Bureau manager Kate Raleigh (pictured) expected the number of callers with money problems to rise but said debt counselling was only one aspect of the charity’s work.

‘We deal with anything where people want to know what their rights are, including housing, employment, legal matters, relationship breakdowns and consumer affairs,’ she said.

She said some issues were more common in certain years and 2007 saw numerous calls from States tenants who were either being moved while repairs were carried out to their home or who had been asked to leave because they earned too much.