Debt problems in seaside town among UK's worst

Debt problems in seaside town among UK's worstJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleOwen SennittNorfolkGreat Yarmouth Borough CouncilGreat Yarmouth has the third highest rate of people using debt respite services in the countryA seaside town has the third highest rate of people needing debt support in England and Wales partly due to it being a seasonal holiday destination, experts have said.Government figures show people in the Great Yarmouth area are accessing debt respite services much more than elsewhere in Norfolk and the rest of the country.Louis Hubbard, who works as a debt advisor in the town, says the seasonal job market leaves people struggling with their finances in the winter months.There are warnings more people will fall into trouble as costs rise further due to global events hitting bills, such as conflicts in Iran and Ukraine.Owen Sennitt/BBCGreat Yarmouth is much busier during the summer monthsDebt disparityAccording to data released by the Insolvency Service, 293 people living in Great Yarmouth entered into a debt respite scheme last year.This equates to a rate of 36.2 per 10,000 people - the third highest in the country.Known as Breathing Space, the service gives people temporary protection for up to 60 days from creditors and offers debt advice to help manage payments in the future.The place with the highest rate of people accessing the scheme is Halton in Cheshire (54.9 per 10,000 people), followed by Blackpool, another seaside town (38.1 per 10,000 people).Norfolk-wide, there were 1,322 people in Breathing Space. Norwich has the second highest rate of people accessing the scheme, 23.2 per 10,000, followed by Breckland at 16.4 per 10,000.Since 2021, the number of people in the county using the service has nearly doubled, rising from 8.8 per 10,000 people to 17.2.The national picture tells a similar story, with rates more than doubling since 2021, from 8.7 to 18.2 per 10,000 people. Last year, one in every 550 adults (equivalent to 89,13...