HOUSEHOLDS are resorting to illegal moneylenders to pay their bills and buy everyday essentials, new research revealed today.

The study on households in energy debt by the Warm This Winter campaign found that almost one in five have been forced to turn to illegal moneylenders in the last 12 months. 

It revealed that reliance on these sources increased among younger households, with a quarter (24 per cent) of under 35s and a third (32 per cent) of customers aged 35-44 turning to illegal lenders.