Abacus Daily Debt News

Debtors disadvantaged by petrol hikes, research shows

Petrol hikes of 15 per cent since last year, as published by the AA, may mean that those heading to town to buy their Christmas presents are more susceptible to falling into debt, with a total of £8 million to be spent on fuel and £70 million on parking over the yuletide period.

This is according to figures from uSwitch.com, which revealed that these soaring prices are pushing people towards the internet to make purchases, with 72 per cent doing so in 2009’s festive season.

Director of consumer policy at the company Ann Robinson remarked that "an ongoing battle" is being fought by Britons to stretch their finances and this year they have been forced to "take a hard look at their spending and adapt their lifestyles to cope".

uSwitch’s study comes after Which? recently announced that buying presents digitally can offer those in debt savings on items such as fragrances and electronics. The consumer watchdog saved £383 by shopping on the web.

By Sarah Adie