HUNDREDS of people in Ludlow are dealing with multiple problems with debt and financial issues at the top of the list.

This is revealed in a report by the Citizens Advice Bureau prepared for Ludlow Town Council.

It shows that the CAB helped nearly 500 people with more than 1,800 issues in the year until the end of March this year.

At the top of the list are problems with benefits and tax that accounted for 767 cases. The largest of these problems relate to employment support allowances followed by housing benefits.

This covered the period before the introduction of the Government’s ‘bedroom tax’.

When it comes to debt the biggest problem concerns unsecured personal loans followed by debts on charge, credit and store cards.

The report reveals that 21 people sought help because of homelessness or the threat of losing their homes.

Jackie Jeffrey, chief executive of Citizens Advice in Shropshire, says that the pressures on people are getting worse.

“In this time of retrenchment in the local economy, fundamental welfare reform and the removal of legal aid for benefit cases, our services are needed more than ever,” she said in the report.

“Without this support, a lot of people will be at risk of sliding into serious debt and rent arrears and might be tempted to use high cost credit like payday loans to tide them over.

“There is a very real risk of homelessness.”