Thousands face Christmas debt crisis, warns SVP

MORE than 1,800 people have contacted the St Vincent de Paul (SVP) charity for help in the past month, with the majority of calls from people struggling to cope with the financial pressures of Christmas.

Despite the booming economy, the number of calls to the society have quadrupled in the last three years.

The SVP received more than 3,000 calls for help in the first nine months of 2002, more than 7,000 during the same period last year and well over 12,000 during the same period this year.