Men are more less likely than women to ask for help with spiralling personal debts, Bradford’s debt counselling charity has revealed.

And, according to Christians Against Poverty (CAP), in the vast majority of cases it is women who have to take the first step of fixing the problem.

Figures released by the charity show that last year 63 per cent of its callers were women and among clients who were single, the ratio was even higher, with almost double the number of women calling compared with men.

Chief executive Matt Barlow said: “When someone rings our freephone number, it is much more likely to be a woman than a man, even if we then hear their partner making helpful comments in the background.

“We don’t know whether women are more pragmatic, or that men have that determination to sort things out on their own. What is clear is that it is awful to live in debt, to be hounded by creditors and feel that life has spun out of control.”

Statistics show most people do not worry about personal debt until it reaches £16,000.

But with post-Christmas credit card bills due to land on doorsteps in the next fortnight, Christians Against Poverty is expecting a rush of people seeking help.

Last year’s figures show that Monday was the most popular day to call for help throughout 2010, perhaps indicating that the callers had spent the weekend pondering their debt problems before deciding to ring for help.

The figures also show that CAP’s busiest day was February 15, closely followed by the last two Mondays in January.

Another survey published yesterday found that the majority of families are worried about inflation, with four out of ten people saying they are too over-stretched to handle any increase in the cost of living.

The rising cost of essential items is the single biggest concern for families during the coming six months, with 57 per cent citing it as a worry, followed by redundancy at 45 per cent and unexpected expenses at 39 per cent, according to insurer Aviva.

Over the longer term, one in five families is concerned about the impact of rising interest rates on their mortgage, with home loan repayments accounting for around a fifth of the typical family’s expenditure.

Christians Against Poverty is based at Jubilee Mill, North Street. To get help call 0800 328 0006 or go to capuk.org.