TWENTY years ago, British people owed about £4b on credit and store cards. Today, the figure is close to £85bn, according to a national building society.
The Evangelical Alliance maintains the average level of consumer credit per person is set to double every decade.
That figure excludes mortgage lending, which has risen from £6b to more than £100b since the early 1980s, according to the alliance.
"Although these trends reflect a general pattern in the western world, Britain seems more attached than most to its plastic cards," said a spokesman.
There are around 50 million cards in circulation in Britain, compared to three million in Germany, for example.
"For a large proportion of people in Britain, credit is an ever present reality," said the spokesman. For a worryingly high number, it has become a chronic burden".
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