Citizens Advice: Mortgage repossession figures

Citizens Advice Head of Consumer Policy officer Sue Edwards said: "We have seen a very sharp rise in the number of people coming to us with mortgage arrears, and evidence that in too many case lenders are using court action as a first rather than a last resort.

"Many Citizens Advice Bureaux run county court advice desks, providing eleventh hour advice to homeowners at risk of repossession. Research has shown that getting advice - even at this late stage - can help the majority of people come to a workable agreement with their mortgage lender and save their homes, so we very much welcome the government's announcement of more money for court advice desks.

"But we want to see all lenders doing everything in their power to avoid things getting to this stage. This means treating borrowers in arrears fairly and sympathetically, and being willing to negotiate with borrowers in trouble. Our evidence shows that all too often this isn't happening, which is why we need a 'pre-action protocol' - measures to ensure only those cases where no agreement is possible end up in court."