Courses on the dangers of borrowing from loan sharks are being held in Skipton next week.

The sessions will be open to the public, along with community and residents’ groups, and would be particularly beneficial to frontline staff at agencies who work closely with communities.

The first part of the sessions, hosted by the England Illegal Money Lending Team, cover what a loan shark is and how they can be avoided.

They will also show where people can turn if they believe they have fallen into a loan shark’s trap.

The second part of the course will be hosted by agencies who are part of the Financial Inclusion Forum and will show the support and services available locally in relation to debt advice and money management.

A spokesman for the event said: “An estimated 310,000 households are in debt to illegal money lenders nationally.

“These criminals usually appear friendly at first, but quickly trap their borrowers into an ever-increasing spiral of debt.

“Many will add extra amounts and exorbitant levels of interest and few will offer paperwork. Some will resort to extreme methods such as violence, threats and intimidation to enforce repayment.”

North Yorkshire County Councillor Chris Metcalfe, executive member for Trading Standards, said: “Loan sharks blight the lives of innocent people and cause misery among communities.

“We are pleased to be working with this specialist team and we urge residents to contact them on the telephone number below.”

Tony Quigley, head of the illegal money lending team, said: “Illegal money lenders are a scourge on our communities.

“These criminals are motivated by greed and have been known to use the worst kinds of bully tactics, to force people to pay back over the odds.

“We would welcome people to attend these sessions and find out more about the issue and urge anyone who is the victim of an illegal lender to call us, in confidence, on 0300 555 2222. Calls are answered by a trained investigator 24/7.”

The sessions will be hosted by the Craven Financial Inclusion Forum, working in partnership with the England Illegal Money Lending Team and North Yorkshire Trading Standards.

They will take place on Thursday, March 22, in the Oak Room at Skipton Children’s Centre, on Brougham Street.

The first session will be from 11.30am to 1pm and will be repeated from 6.30pm to 8pm.

Members of the public wishing to attend either of these sessions are asked to book by contacting the children’s centre on (01609) 798094 or emailing skiptoncc@northyorks.gov.uk