StepChange Debt Charity Scotland announced around a third (31 per cent) of townsfolk in debt have experienced some form of rent arrears and the average debt owed is £404. The average council tax debt is £1,585.

Around 15 per cent of residents surveyed also had a pay day loan, down from 21 per cent in 2014, with the average owed to pay day loan companies around £1,714. Dumbarton is higher than the West of Scotland average which is £1,434.

However, the town is below the national average and below the average of neighbouring Clydebank and Renfewshire. The research conducted by Step Change Debt charity states the average debt held by the Dumbarton residents they surveyed is £10,695.41 on an average income of £1,168.04 a month. This is the lowest since 2010.

Sharon Bell, head of StepChange Debt Charity Scotland, told the Reporter: “While debts have fallen, the nature of that debt is shifting. We are seeing more of our clients in Dumbarton and across Scotland struggling to pay essential bills like council tax, energy bills and rent. People are increasingly turning to credit to help cover basic bills and can soon find themselves owing thousands.

“What the governments in Edinburgh and London need to look at is how we can catch these people before they fall into a spiralling cycle of debt. We urge anyone who is feeling stressed, anxious or depressed regarding their debts to seek help at the earliest opportunity. Seeking debt advice is not only a means of getting your finances under control, but could help address one of the underlying causes of stress and anxiety.” Labour MP Gemma Doyle told the Reporter: “These figures show just how badly the Tories have let down people in this area, and how much we need to get them out at this election.

“People are worse off now than they were five years ago yet there was absolutely nothing in George Osborne’s budget to provide working families with the pay rise they so desperately need.

“The Labour party will stop the even more extreme cuts the Tories plan to make if they get back in. We will raise the national minimum wage, expand free childcare, scrap the bedroom tax and stop energy prices going up. To stop more people falling into debt we need an economy that works for working people, not for the privileged few.”