A total of three million consumers have debts that reach over £10,000, according to debt solutions firm One Advice.

A total of three million consumers have debts that reach over £10,000, according to debt solutions firm One Advice.

Of this amount, over 2.5 million admitted to having unsecured debts in excess of £50,000 when surveyed by the company.

Unsecured debt is defined as occuring from credit cards, store cards and personal loans. Last year, this amounted to almost £2 billion.

Chris Holmes, chief executive of One Advice, said: "There are an alarming number of people with serious debts, which they find difficult to repay. The pressure to spend at Christmas is almost certain to add to the UK's debt burden."

He added that those who are concerned about their financial state of affairs should seek out professional guidance.

The regions where people are most likely to have unsecured debts are London, the North and Yorkshire. Those who were least likely to accrue unsecured debts lived in the Midlands.