More than one in three people now fear not being able to meet their mortgage repayments in the next four months, a survey says.

People living in the South East - the area that has led the housing boom in recent years - are the most concerned.

The research suggests that speculation over potential interest rate movements could be causing uncertainty among homeowners.

The survey of 2,000 people also highlights concerns over other forms of bank credit, such as personal loans and credit cards.

South East concern

About 42% of homeowners living in the South East, where the average house price is �157,414, said they were concerned about house prices.

This compares with only 30% who expressed concerns in a similar survey conducted in April.

Those in the 35-44 age group were the most likely to worry about repaying their mortgage.

Half of this group now fear not being able to afford their mortgage, compared with 44% in the April survey by CPP, a credit protection firm.

Utility bills, including gas, electric, telephone and water, now appear to be less of a worry - down to 15% from 19%, compared to the survey by CPP, a credit protection firm.

Bank overdrafts were a key concern in April when almost one in 10 people feared they would be unable to repay this debt. This has since fallen to 6% in the last three months.

Credit concerns

Along with mortgages, it seems people are increasingly concerned about repaying different forms of bank credit, such as personal loans and credit cards.

For example, concerns over repaying personal loans have risen from 6% in April to 9% in June, and credit card concerns are up from 8% to 10% since April.