An “unprecedented” number of people in the UK have been seeking help with their debt following Christmas, charities have said.
Debt advice charity StepChange said 5 January – the first Monday of 2026 – was its busiest day in over a year. It said 800 people received debt advice that day, which was higher than any day in 2025.
For some people, money worries intensified over the festive period. “January always tends to be a busy time for us as a charity following the festive season, but the increase compared to last year may indicate more people are struggling to make ends meet following several years of inflated living costs,” StepChange’s head of communications Simon Trevethick told Yahoo News.
A Bank of England report last week warned that…