The Conservatives have pledged to help British consumers tackle the nation`s "addiction to debt" if elected at the next election.
Among the proposals unveiled by shadow chancellor George Osborne is the introduction of a cooling-off period for people before they are permitted to start using their cards.
Also planned is the granting of new powers to the Office of Fair Trading to enable the watchdog to prevent providers of store cards from charging rates in excess of 25 per cent.
Mr Osborne told GMTV: "We`ve got a big problem in Britain, we`re addicted to debt and we are seeing the consequences of that as the credit crunch hits, and everyone is finding it more and more difficult with the rising cost of living."
According to research from Credit Action, the UK`s total personal debt stood at £1.436 trillion at the end of April.
