The first priority is to prioritise, stressed spokesperson Melanie Mitchley, assessing which card to pay back first according to which has the highest interest rate.

Customers should “monitor their debt situation and budget to pay back any overspending”, she advised.

MyCallcredit urges caution on borrowing to pay back credit card debts, which can often mean that the debt burden simply hangs over the borrower for longer.

And customers are advised to alert creditors well in advance if making repayments is difficult, to try to revise the terms of the loan.

A study from uSwitch.com this week found that 33 per cent of Britons are planning to salvage their finances in January by spending on credit and store cards instead of using savings.

Although this approach may appear attractive in the short term, it could mean consumers end up dragging the debt burden through 2007.

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