MILLIONS of homes would find it difficult to cope if their regular bills increased by just lb50.
That's among the shock discoveries by watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), that has completed its biggest ever survey concerning the state of the country's finances.
Some 17 percent of those paying a mortgage or rent admitted they would struggle if their debts increased – that equates to 5.1 million people.
Overall, half of adults – 25.6 millon – are financially vulnerable.
That means they could potentially face difficulties with their cash if, for example, their monthly outgoing rose because they have no savings or they have to stop work because of sickness.
Just under 8 million are "over-indebted" and another 4.A million people – 8 percent – failed to pay for a household or credit bill in 3 or more of the last six months.
The worrying findings add more weight to concerns that UK households are carrying an excessive amount of debt.
The Bank of England is anticipated to raise interest rates next month the very first time in a decade because it attempts to check the rate of inflation – which could mean borrowers facing an increase in their bills of hundreds of pounds annually.
Last month The sun's rays Online reported a rise of 0.25 per cent in interest rates could leave mortgage payers facing a brand new bill of more than lb200 annually.
And banks happen to be inspired to set aside an additional lb10billion to cover potential losses from those who are unable to pay their debts.