Debt charity Credit Action found that the average household debt, including mortgages, was £54,015. This was a jump from the £53,991 recorded in March. At the same time other types of debt fell, meaning mortgages now occupy a greater proportion of total household debt.

The charity said that rising mortgage debt was a sign that government schemes such as Funding for Lending were allowing more people to access finance.

Across all types of personal debt, £165m of interest was paid every day during the month. During the first quarter a property was repossessed every 16 minutes.

Michelle Highman, chief executive of Credit Action, said: “Average debt including mortgages showed an increase, which no doubt reflected the positive impact that schemes such as Funding for Lending and the imminent Help to Buy programme are having on confidence in the housing market.

“Unsecured debt levels have remained consistent; something that’s been on-going for the past few months. While this trend could be seen as encouraging, in that people’s debt burden isn’t increasing, it may also suggest that some are struggling to pay down their debts, leading to a static picture overall.”