CITIZENS Advice have issued their top tips for managing debt ahead of the year's busiest day for debt advice.

The last day of January is expected to be the busiest day of the year for people seeking help with their debts, Citizens Advice Bury District has revealed.

Citizens Advice Bury District, which offers advice for a variety of debt concerns including Council Tax Arrears, credit card debts, overdrafts, loans and rent arrears, is expecting about 150 people to seek debt advice throughout January.

Dave Bevitt, Chief Officer of Citizens Advice Bury District, said: "There is a surge in demand for our debt advice towards the second half of January.

"Christmas in particular can take a heavy toll on people already struggling to make their money last and leave them with a debt burden in the new year.

"But this needn’t become a crisis — problems can be taken care of if you seek advice early.

"The New Year is a good time to get on top of your debts, cut your costs or budget better. "Citizens Advice can help you review your situation so you can make decisions that improve your financial security."

On January 31 last year Citizens Advice helped 2,800 people — 30 per cent above the daily average and equivalent to one person every 10 seconds.

Analysis by the charity network from November 2016 to October 2017, also found that January 30 was the most popular day or people seeking online advice, with more than double the average page views for the rest of the year.

To help people kick off the New Year on a stronger fiscal footing, Citizens Advice Bury District's six top tips to help people get their finances in order are:

1.Work out how much you owe and to who by making a list, and contact your creditor to find out, if you don't have you're most recent statements.

2. Prioritise debts: rent, mortgage, energy and council tax are priority debts as there can be serous consequences for non-payment. Always pay these first, and separate them to find out how much you owe.

3. Work out how much you can pay: creating a budget, adding up living costs and taking them away from your income. Any spare money can go towards debts.

4. Paying urgent debts: if you can't pay all your priority debts contact your creditors to negotiate how much and when you can pay. Prioritise creditors taking action against you.

5. Paying non-urgent debts: If you have any money left after paying priority debts, consider getting a free debt-management plan. You’ll make one monthly payment to the plan provider, who will handle paying your creditors. Or contact your creditors and offer them what you can afford to pay.

6. If you can't pay your debts, seek advice straight away.

For more information or advice call 0300 3301153 or visit www.burycab.org.uk