THE number of people with debt problems has rocketed in Dorchester with a 50 per cent increase in cases dealt with by the town's Citizens' Advice Bureau in the past year.

The total of 11,264 cases was a steep increase, according to figures released by the South and West Legal Services Commission.

The rise follows an increase in the commission's legal aid contract with the CAB.

Anne Bowen, manager of the Dorchester and district CAB, said: "The ability to offer a responsive debt advice service has made a huge improvement to our clients.

"We are very fortunate to have been awarded a legal aid contract. It gives us the opportunity to meet our clients' needs and to have some certainty when planning our future.

"We are fully committed to developing our relationship with the commission to make sure that our clients receive the best specialist support." She highlighted a case study as an example of how legal aid helped one Dorchester CAB client.

Mrs Watson - not her real name - struggled for many years to raise her disabled son.

Her marriage broke down and she was unable to work because she had to look after her son.

Loss of income led her to use credit cards and bank overdrafts for necessities and to pay bills.

Mrs Watson was at her wits' end by the time she sought help from the CAB and was being threatened with court action. Debt advisers helped her work out a budget but found it would take 30 years to repay her debts. They explained about bankruptcy and helped her with the process to have her debts written off.

Mrs Watson said: "I'm so relieved the CAB helped me find a solution. I no longer face daily phone calls from creditors and can concentrate on getting on with my life."

Geoff Mountjoy, the commission's regional director, said: "We are pleased to be able to increase our legal aid contract with the CAB. Debt problems can cause immense damage to a person's mental and physical health so we are delighted to work with the CAB to make sure people get the help they need."

Mrs Bowen said an increasing number of elderly people in West Dorset were falling into debt.

She said: "It was extremely rare to see older people for debt problems five years ago, but not now."

She urged anyone with debt problems to contact the CAB at Dorchester on 01305 262220, Bridport on 01308 456594 or Weymouth on 01305 782798 for help.