A Dutch organisation which helps private individuals deal with their finances when they get into debt had 89,000 requests for help last year – up 4,500 on 2012.

The NVVK said the average debt owed by its clients was €37,700, a €4,000 increase on the previous year.

‘The effect of the economic crisis is becoming more obvious and more worrying,’ chairwoman Joke de Kock told broadcaster Nos.

While some people find it difficult or are too embarrassed to adjust their spending, others don’t have enough to make ends meet, she said. For example, she said, expensive telephone subscriptions often run for two years and cannot easily be halted when the money dries up.