As Brian Cowen’s recession begins to bite, and more and more people suffer job losses or reduced income, many are under pressure to pay their bills. In Ireland, we have one of the highest levels of consumer debt in the developed world. This toxic mix of rising debt and falling incomes means many people are struggling under a debt mountain.

The first piece of advice from the Money Advice & Budgeting Service (MABS) is “Don’t ignore it – it won’t go away and the longer you leave it, the worse it gets.” MABS have a useful guide to dealing with debt and you can contact their helpline at 1890 283 438 between 9am and 8pm from Monday to Friday.

Dublin 15’s local MABS office is located at 7A, Church Avenue in Blanchardstown village and can be contacted at 8206324 or blanchardstown@mabs.ie.