Citizens Advice Cornwall has helped write-off £5.4 million worth of unmanageable debts for people in the county according to new statistics released by the charity.

Its annual report also shows more than 8,500 people were given advice on a wide range of issues – from debts and benefits to housing, employment, immigration and consumer problems.

Citizens Advice also helped people gain a total of £3.4 million in income, largely through unclaimed benefits.

Last year 121 people volunteered with Citizens Advice in Cornwall, contributing 22,730 hours of work for free.

Citizens Advice is a free, independent and confidential service for all members of the community and operates from offices in Saltash, Liskeard, Bodmin, Newquay, St Austell, Truro, Camborne, Falmouth and Penzance with outreach services in Bude, Wadebridge, Callington, Launceston, St Columb Major and St Mary’s on the Isles of Scilly.

In addition to face-to-face and phone advice Citizens Advice also offers the Government’s Debt Advice Service; a service for cancer patients through the Macmillan cancer charity; Pensionwise; advice for victims of crime funded by the Victim Care Unit; FINCAP, a project to improve people’s financial skills and awareness and Help to Claim – a project to help people apply for Universal Credit benefits.