MONEY worries are on the rise in East Lancashire, according to new research.

The insolvency and restructuring trade body R3 says that 41 per cent of people in the North West say they sometimes or often struggle to payday, up from 36 per cent in February this year.

Meanwhile, 43 per cent are worried about their level of debt, up from 41 per cent.

The figures, the latest in R3’s long-running personal debt survey, are based on interviews with 213 adults in the region.

They show that, among those struggling, the cost of food was the most common reason, cited by 58 per cent, followed by household energy costs (38 per cent).

Paul Barber, the North West chairman of R3 who lives in Rossendale, said: “The figures indicate signs of increasing strain on people’s personal finances, although the number struggling to payday remains well below its post-recession peak of 65 per cent in October 2011 among adults in the North West.”

The survey shows eight per cent of North West adults are ‘zombie debtors’ paying off credit card interest charges but not reducing the debt, while one in four adults has no savings.