By Charlotte Beugge

British households did not go mad on the credit cards at Christmas, according to figures just out from a money education charity.

Credit Action says that in December the amount each household owed in non-mortgage debt fell from £7,972 in November to £7,948 - even given the expense of the festivities.

In addition, the daily amount of interest paid on personal debt fell from £173 million in November to £171 million in December.

And while these figures are encouraging, others from Credit Action continue to paint a picture of a Britain deep in the red. Including mortgages, the average UK household owes £55,823 - or £29,547 per adult.

It says that every quarter of an hour a home is repossessed and each day, 331 Brits are declared insolvent or bankrupt - figures which become understandable given that 1,797 people are made redundant every day and 857,000 are stuck without work for more than a year.

And even though consumer spending appears to have been tempered at Christmas, day-to-day essential spending can just add to the burden of debt.

It now takes more than £66 to fill up the typical car with petrol and every day, more than 26 million purchases worth £125 billion are made on credit, debit and store cards.

Michelle Highman, chief executive of Credit Action, says that it is "heartening" that Brits did not overspend at Christmas, but cautioned: "The underlying reasons for not doing so may prove to be a real cause for concern in the coming year."