However, unlike their counterparts in the capital, residents in the south-west have the least amount of debt, a study by credit monitoring service MyCallcredit shows.

The survey found that east London and Uxbridge have the residents with the most debt in the whole of the UK.

However, Dorchester and Salisbury are the most debt-free, according to MyCallcredit.

Alison Nicholson, director of MyCallcredit, said: “From a lender’s point of view, this information helps them identify those customers who are more prone to financial difficulty based on their location.”

The measure of indebtedness included the levels of high outstanding credit balances, high levels of commitments such as mortgages, relative to income.

It also measured employment levels, revolving credit agreements and the number of accounts falling into arrears.

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