People in the UK are borrowing on average almost twice that of citizens in other western European countries, a report has found.
Unsecured UK lending, such as credit cards, was £216bn ($408bn; 319bn euros) in 2005 - more than a third of all new non-mortgage borrowing in Europe. The average British resident owes £3,175, business research firm Datamonitor said. Total UK personal debt, including mortgages, is about £1.2 trillion.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5380718.stm
2 years previously, it was £1trn
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3935671.stm
Latest figures for 2012 - some fascinating stats to keep the conversation flowing in the pub -
http://www.creditaction.org.uk/helpful-resources/debt-statistics.html
