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   THE heartache behind Hampshire's debt mountain has become clear after it emerged that more than 1,000 homes in the county were repossessed last year.That is about 300 more families going under and losing their homes than in 2005.

At the same time it emerged that more than 100,000 people were declared insolvent in the UK in 2006, more than 40 per cent up on 2005.Hampshire's overworked Citizens Advice Bureaux report that up to 50 per cent of their clients have financial woes, some grappling with debts of 100,000 and more.UK household debt has already smashed through the 1 trillion barrier - 16,700 for each man, woman and child in the country.

The result is that house repossessions have tripled in the past three years, with 17,000 UK homes repossessed in 2006, a 65 per cent rise on 2005 and more than in any year since 2000.Experts warn that it's going to get worse.Michael Coogan, director general of the Council of Mortgage Lenders, said: "Repossessions are likely to creep up from around 17,000 last year to 19,000 this year and 20,000 next year - higher than the low of 6,030 in 2004, but still only around a quarter of the 1991 peak of 75,540." A succession of interest rate rises have compounded the misery for hundreds of families stuck in the red as mortgage lenders rush to raise their repayment rates to match.

Adam Sampson, chief executive of homelessness charity Shelter, said: "This massive rise of 65 per cent in mortgage repossession means thousands more hardworking families face the nightmare of becoming homeless.Spiralling house prices, created by a desperate shortage of housing in the South, are forcing more families to overstretch themselves in an attempt to get on the property ladder."We are calling on mortgage providers to be more responsible, particularly when lending large sums of money to vulnerable people on low incomes, and urging the government to increase support to help families keep a roof over their heads." .

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