The bills included 332,000 credit card bills missed altogether, as well as utility bills, mobile phone bills and 74,000 missed personal loan repayments.

The average charge for missing a credit card bill is £12, the financial experts advise, which means that Britons accumulated at least £47.8 million in fees on credit cards in 2006.

“Most of us struggle to come to terms with getting paid early in December plus heavy spending over Christmas,” observed Sean Gardner, MoneyExpert.com chief executive.

“Tell your bank or service provider if you are struggling,” he urged customers, adding: “The more honest you are, the more they’ll want to help.”

Last week, unpaid bills were identified as one of Britons’ biggest headaches in January, compounding financial woes dating back to Christmas and the year just gone.

Almost one in ten adults missed a credit card payment during the last twelve months, MoneyExpert.com claims.

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