Along with West Dunbartonshire Council, the Ombudsman met with community workers in Burgh Hall to discuss the provision of free, high quality independent information services to the community. While Trading Standards can deal with many consumer complaints, there are financial issues such as payday loans, mortgages and irresponsible lending that are best dealt with by the Financial Ombudsman Service. The ombudsman visited Dumbarton to remind consumers that they’re not alone and to urge them to seek help.

David Cresswell, from the Financial Ombudsman Service, said: “We’re worried that the cases we’ve seen so far could just be the tip of the iceberg and that there are still a lot of people out there struggling with debt.”