'The debts weren't going away, it was overwhelming'

Sarah Daniels was constantly in her overdraft after losing her job due to ill health in 2024, eventually ending up £5,000 in the red.

Most of her debts snowballed from being unable to pay essential bills such as utilities, council tax and rent.

The 56-year-old from Reading told the BBC: "Phone calls daily, letters through the door, red letters. It was very overwhelming for a while, I didn't open the letters they would just stay there because I knew what they were."

Citizens Advice East Berkshire said it saw more than 2,000 clients with debt issues in 2024-25, a rise of 54% on the previous year.

For a couple of months Daniels ignored the constant letters but soon realised "the debts weren't going away".

Eventually, she reached out to her local branch of Christians Against Poverty (CAP) - a charity that provides free debt help.

"When I was struggling financially they were there, they have done a lot for me during that struggle..," she said.

CAP referred her to food banks as she was "struggling to put food in the cupboards" and helped her get fuel vouchers for gas and electric.

CAP debt coach Suzanna Mitchell then helped her set up a repayment plan.

But Daniels said the hardest part was going through all the paperwork to work out how to tackle the issue.

"It was reminding me of my debts when it was all put down on paper... it wasn't massive but it was a debt which I am still paying now but I am on the right track," she added.

She has about 14 months to go before she can call herself debt-free.

However, Daniels, is not alone in facing such problems.

CAP said it was seeing more people going into debt due to basic bills rather than credit cards and buy now pay later payments.

New clients for the charity in the south east of England owe an average of more than £12,500.

In Reading, debt coach Mitchell said they meet with three new households a month and are reaching capacity with a waiting time of eight weeks.

"...often we reach a point that it's better to signpost people to a different place because it is too long for people to wait," she said.

Citizens Advice East Berkshire (CAEB), which covers Windsor, Maidenhead, Slough and Bracknell, has seen a sharp increase in demand for their services.

Nicola Miller, chief executive, said "Nationally... there's around 400,000 people who have come with issues around debt and that represents a 45% increase in the last two years but here at CAEB it's a 54% increase so that's more than the national average."

The service has also noticed a trend of people going into debt due to essential bills.

"...80% of our clients have a negative budget. They don't have the income to cover their essentials and their basic needs," she added.

BBC Actionline offers help and advice on dealing with debt.