MORE than £5million worth of debt was re-negotiated by the Citizens Advice Bureau in Fenland last year, as the number of debt inquiries rocketed.

Figures just released show there were 6,697 debt issues dealt with by CAB volunteers in 2012/13 - an increase of 13 per cent on the previous year.

A report put before Fenland District Council also shows CAB volunteers contributed £150,000 worth of free work hours to the service, and more than £822,000 worth of benefits were applied for.

Twelve new volunteers joined The Rural Cambridgeshire CAB last year, and 10 per cent of all households consulted the service.

Despite these increases, figures show that the number of overall inquiries dealt with by the CAB in Fenland dropped last year. A total of 3,982 people asked for help, compared with 5,709 the previous year.