2.5m holidaymakers to get into debt this summer

A new survey has estimated 2.5 million people will find themselves in debt after taking a holiday this summer – twice as many as last year.

The research from Experian`s credit monitoring service Credit Expert also found 24 per cent of British adults are no longer planning a holiday due to financial concerns.

Almost half (43 per cent) of these said they were worried about the credit crunch.

Managing director of Credit Expert Jim Hodgkins said people are having to make the "painful" decision of whether to risk debt by taking a holiday.

"The credit crunch is really biting now," he said.

According to the survey, residents of Wales and the south-west are the most worried about their economic future, with 65 per cent of those not taking a holiday citing the credit crunch as the main reason.

Today the Telegraph reported on the growing popularity of canal holidays in the UK. Eleven million people visit waterways in England and Wales a year, the paper said.