Over Christmas, £11 billion was shelled out on credit and store cards across the UK.

Consumers used their flexible friends to ensure loved ones could merrily unwrap the latest fashions and gadgets under the tree.

Two weeks on, with the pine needles still in the carpet, people are starting to wonder how they will pay for everything.

On average, British adults owe £3,216 on credit cards, overdrafts and personal loans.

Chris Ledger, of Sussex-based debt advisors Twinpier, estimates up to 50,000 residents in Brighton and Hove could be heavily in debt.

And when the credit card bills start arriving, some could be in for a fright.

Mr Ledger, 31, said: "The biggest demand for debt companies is February and March, when utility bills and Christmas credit card bills all come along at once.

"Many people feel obliged to those they owe money to.

Some go to huge lengths, such as not eating, so they can pay £50 to their store catalogue bill.

"I came across a client in November who, at the beginning of 2002, owed £10,000 but by the end owed £20,000.

"He had not bought a car or anything. The extra £10,000 was purely from him trying to pay bills by robbing Peter to pay Paul.

"His outgoings on credit cards were £500 a month paying the minimum amounts. Under a debt management plan, we got the interest frozen and he is now paying £150 a month."

In the BBC2 television programme, Your Money Or Your Life, financial guru Alvin Hall talks people through how they can make repayments more manageable and reduce other outgoings.

Mr Ledger agreed this was sensible advice: "Alvin goes to people, looks at what they are spending and tells them how to reduce their credit.

His mantra is "start saving".

"If you have no savings, when an unexpected bill comes up, how do you pay for it? Most people borrow money and so the bill grows."

Mr Ledger talks from personal experience.

He said: "Seven or eight years ago I was in debt. I was sitting on a train travelling back from London desperately worrying how I was going to pay my mortgage.

"I saw a chance article in a newspaper about people in debt. It told about a family who couldn't make ends meet and they called a debt company and got a plan for the future.

"I spoke to my wife and we managed to sort everything out within a month.

"After that, I began advising people who asked me what I did when I was in trouble. Then I decided to get a licence from the Office of Fair Trading."

There are a number of debt help companies in the UK, including the National Debtline and Consumer Credit Counselling Service CCCS) which are run as charities.

Usually, once a company has negotiated a reduction in repayments, it can make payments on a client's behalf leaving them with just one payment a month.

However, Mr Ledger said demand runs very high after Christmas and householders cannot always be guaranteed a response.

Twinpier and other private firms are alternatives but Mr Ledger said he would strongly recommend people ensure they are licensed.

He said Twinpier could sometimes write off people's debts completely and also provide advice on bankruptcy.

A spokesman for the Office of Fair Trading said: People with debt problems are vulnerable. Companies offering debt management services must make crystal clear to their customers how much they will have to pay and what they will get for their money."

A spokesman for the CCCS said: "Used properly, credit is a great asset at Christmas as it allows us to spread the costs across a number of months.

"But people should be realistic about what they can afford and how they are going to pay off their debts months after Christmas.

"In our experience, the people most likely to get into debt - families with mortgages on low to middle incomes - are precisely those who come under the most pressure to spend more than they can afford."

He said on average, the CCCS helps more than 2,000 people a week. During February and March, it receives three times as many calls to its helpline as a direct result of overspending at Christmas.

David Harker, chief executive of the National association of Citizens' Advice Bureaux, said: "We see the distress that debt problems bring - the sleepless nights, the bailiffs at the door, the pressure on family relationships.

"It is difficult to resist the conclusion that the recent growth in consumer borrowing will lead to problems for a record number of people, who will face far larger debt problems than ever before."

Twinpier can be contacted on 01273 275175. The CCCS helpline is 0800 138 1111.