With personal debt growing at a rate of £1 million every four minutes in the UK, many consumers are turning to debt management companies as they seek to alleviate their financial difficulties. These firms offer debt management programmes whereby they take control of the client's individual debts, dealing with and paying off the various creditors in return for a monthly fee.

On the face of it, this kind of deal can help the debtor organise their finances more effectively by setting out a clear programme for debt repayment and cutting out the hassle of dealing with many different creditors.

In reality, however, there are cases where the debt management programme actually works out more expensive to pay off than all the individual debts combined, through higher interest or less favourable and longer terms.

Therefore, The Debt Counsellors are advising consumers to get professional debt advice before signing up to any so-called debt management solution.

John Porter, a senior counsellor with the organisation, said: "If somebody has personal debt problems, it is important that they deal with them effectively and in the best way possible. The area of debt management is a minefield and without proper debt counselling, the problem can be made much worse.

"What's more, many people signing up to debt management programmes are unaware of the alternatives that could be more suitable for their situation. With that in mind, we advise anyone worried about their debt to contact us for free, confidential debt advice before making any decisions."

For more information, visit http://www.debtcounsellors.co.uk