The big danger today is people don't realise they have a debt problem

People are less likely to seek help if they fall behind on household bills, but this has become a bigger issue than loans, overdrafts and credit cards

For many people, being in debt and being financially excluded are two sides of the same coin. Debt can be both a consequence and a cause of financial exclusion.

It is easy to see how households can become trapped in a vicious cycle. To understand how we can help them out of it, it is important to understand just how quickly the UK's personal debt landscape is changing.

Serious debt problems are also now being caused by lower levels of arrears

Related: 'I thought I was going to prison, I owed the council that much money'