A million people in the UK owe more money than they can afford to pay back, the BBC has learned.

Last year the National Association of Citizens' Advice Bureaux (Nacab) dealt with one million cases of people seeking help with their debt worries.

It blames banks and other lenders who encourage people to lend more than they can afford without checking if they can pay.

The Nacab figures show a annual rise of 16% in the number of people contacting the bureaux with debt queries, and a 37% rise over two years.

It urges people to check the real cost of lending before taking on more debt.

The BBC's Paul Lewis said: "More than half a million people brought [to the Nacab] new consumer debt problems for money owed on such things as credit cards, bank loans, overdrafts and higher purchase."

Plastic debt

The figures do not include the money borrowed to buy homes.

Figures from the Credit Card Research Group show that UK shoppers spent a record �7.2bn on plastic in December last year, up 18% from the previous year.

The poorest in society are being hit the hardest by money lenders - many demanding interests rates from 200% to 500%.

Nacab is urging the government to tackle the rise in debt.

Since 1998, calls to the Consumer Credit Counselling Service have trebled to more than 75,000 people.

A typical caller owes �20,000 to nine different creditors.