Bailiffs' tactics 'leave 50% feeling suicidal'

MIND games used by aggressive debt collectors can cause suicidal feelings and have a "devastating" effect on mental health, a charity has warned.

Reports of bailiffs forcing their way into people's homes and intimidating their children have raised serious concerns among campaigners. They are now calling on the government to step up public protection and introduce more robust regulation of the industry.

A study by mental health charity Mind found 80 per cent of those visited by enforcement agents had experienced threatening behaviour.

According to the survey, 50 per cent of people who received an unwelcome knock on the door said it left them feeling suicidal.

Meanwhile, 96 per cent reported increased levels of anxiety and 87 per cent reported increased depression.

The poll, of 453 adults, found one in ten was being pursued for debts of under 100 while 70 per cent were charged excessive fees.

Sian Meredith, 50, from Pembrokeshire, who bought a new house and was then chased for the previous owner's unpaid parking fines, said she was called a liar when she tried to reason with bailiffs. She said: "It's so scary - they threaten to burgle your house, to clamp your car, and it is horrible knowing they could just turn up at any time."

In the Mind study, carried out between December and January, only 5 per cent of those polled said bailiffs had provided them with information when it was requested.

Paul Farmer, Mind's chief executive, stressed the need for tighter regulation to clamp down on the "bullying tactics".

"We have heard cases of bailiffs forcing their way into homes, threatening people with prison and even intimidating people's children," he said. "Without regulation, bailiffs are free to exaggerate their powers with no repercussions."