Loan sharks are homing in on Mid Sussex villages to prey on a rising number of vulnerable people caught in the poverty trap.

Community agencies say they are dealing with a worrying increase in struggling families who have run into trouble after turning to unscrupulous loan firms.

While most residents prosper thanks to the strong economy, the gap between the poor and the well-off in rural areas has never been greater.

Mid Sussex agencies have reported a worrying trend of poor families finding themselves swamped by debt after borrowing money at extortionate interest rates.

The Burgess Hill and District Credit Union, which provides interest-free loans to Mid Sussex residents, said the battle against poverty had reached a critical point.

Councillor Anne Jones, who chairs the union, says loan sharks are capitalising on rural poverty and targeting the most vulnerable.

She said: "This is a very real issue. They charge £30 to borrow £100 and it's £50 for cash.

"If you have no money for food or your rent or mortgage is in arrears and you risk losing your home, it's easy to see why people turn to them.

"Poverty in rural areas is worse than in urban areas, but they do not have the support systems that you would find in, say, Brighton and Hove and other towns and cities. A lot of people do not see poverty in Mid Sussex because people are proud and they hide it.

"I've recently dealt with about 30 people just from the Burgess Hill, Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint area. It's quite a revelation. It's very clear that living in a very expensive rural area in Mid Sussex is hitting people very hard.

"I would say there must be hundreds more who we don't know about.

"The trouble is, many are legitimate companies so there is not much you can do."

The problem in Mid Sussex has been highlighted just weeks after a report by the Countryside Agency and NCH Action for Children found people living in rural areas often struggle to bring up their families because of a lack of money.

The Citizens Advice Bureau in Haywards Heath deals with up to 111 cases of financial difficulty a month.

Manager Peter Le Seeleur said: "I know there are hundreds of people who are poor by anybody's definition.

"The problem is that people who are the very poorest are not trying to get help. Either they think they will not get help or they are too proud to ask for what they see as means-tested benefits."