Traditionally, the festive season is expensive, and this month we will all be counting the costs.

January brings the dread of bills dropping through the door because with the best will in the world, and despite attempts to stick to a budget, many families cannot forego that extra stocking filler for their children.

However, sticking to a budget is imperative if you are in a position where you cannot afford to pay the priority bills because pushing them to one side won’t make them go away.

According to the national debt counselling charity, Christians Against Poverty, the average amount of secondary debt, debt accrued through credit card and store cards the charity has dealt with in Bradford last year is £14,935.

Seventy-one per cent of new clients in Bradford who contacted the charity over the last year had average priority debts of £4,075 and were concerned about keeping a roof over their heads.

While the charity’s headquarters is based in Bradford, it helps people throughout the country.

As well as the Bradford headquarters, the charity opened a second centre at the Family Church in Heaton in October which is already booked up until February, such is the extent of the demand.

Concerns over Universal Credit and benefit changes in the New Year could compound the financial situations of those who are already struggling.

Marianne Clough, CAP’s national PR manager, says the smallest amount of debt they are dealing with, around £362, can be as significant as a large amount. “If you haven’t got very much in the first place and you are paying back £362, it may be a bit of a struggle for quite a lot of us, but it would be blindingly impossible for some people on a very low income to get that together.”

Debt advisers acknowledge the festivities can compound financial hardship. “I think it is widely acknowledged that after Christmas things can be quite serious for people,” says Marianne.

Yet she says early indications of the research the charity is in the process of compiling indicates that Christmas isn’t the cause of clients picking up the phone in the New Year.

“It tends to be that people have a serious situation looming but they cannot face it before Christmas. They think they will get Christmas out of the way and will get some help in the New Year, like a New Year’s resolution,” says Marianne.

She says often people with debt problems get ‘bad press’ that they have blown all their money at Christmas.

“But we are gathering some figures in the next few days and it looks much more like people have long and complicated situations with multiples of debt and multiples of problems.”

Marianne explains some may have suffered a bereavement, a relationship breakdown or redundancy. “Serious things that happen in life can pull the rug out from under you.”

She advises those who are struggling to get help as soon as they can. “If people are worried about heating or eating they need to get some help quick.”

CAP Money is a free course run by Christians Against Poverty to help people take control of their finances. It runs for three hours over three weeks and is being delivered by specially-trained staff within 1,100 churches throughout the UK.

John Goodfellow, executive chairman of the Debt Advisory Line says: “During the festive period, people tend to spend more money than they usually would at any other point in the year.

“With gifts to purchase, and for many people hosting the Christmas dinner, Christmas can get very expensive. With expense, comes destruction and people often find themselves plunging into avoidable debt problems.

“We’ve put together some simple but very useful tips to ensure people examine the situation before the season begins, and therefore avoid building up debt.”

Bradford District Credit Union have also noticed an increased demand for their service. “We are receiving increasing enquiries from people who have taken out payday-type loans and are looking to reduce ongoing debts with a reasonable interest rate,” says the organisation’s chief executive, Andrew Bowker.

“We are approving higher volumes of loans to our members and this is continuing to show a positive trend. We are a safe and secure alternative to loan sharks and doorstep lenders.

“We are also working with fellow associations and Government projects to ensure that we further assist in encouraging savings and offering loans to members at reasonable and affordable rates plus reaching out to new groups.”

For more information, call Christians Against Poverty on 0800 328 0006 or visit their website capdebthelp.org. You can contact the Debt Advisory Line on 0800 1577254, or Bradford District Credit Union on (01274) 434100, or visit bdcu.co.uk.