The government should speed up plans to offer Debt Relief Orders - a new low cost insolvency solution - to help millions facing a lifetime of debt, according to new research from a national charity.

The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), which provides independent debt advice, says their clients owe on average £13,153 (equivalent to 17.5 times their total monthly household income) and it will take around 77 years to pay off the money at a rate they can afford.

Consumer credit debt problems brought to CAB have doubled over the last eight years, accounting for three-quarters of the 1.25 million new debt cases dealt with by the network last year.

"Low income, combined with badly informed and poorly understood financial decisions are at the root of many of our clients' debt problems," said David Harker, chief executive of the CAB.

"They need to be given some hope that they can turn things around, with a solution that offers them a fresh start, lifts them out of the poverty trap, and gives them a chance to build better financial skills for the future."

The Debt Relief Order is a new type of bankruptcy proposed by the government that would offer hope to those too poor to take advantage of other debt remedies such as county court administration orders, bankruptcy and Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs).

People who have less than £15,000 in debt, less than £300 in assets and less than £50 per month available income after they have met all their essential expenditure could apply for a Debt Relief Order which would write off their debt.

You could avoid bankruptcy altogether if you take out a debt consolidation loan today.