Contractors and other professionals need to be more aware of the charges that accompany credit and debit cards, according to one money advice website.

Justin Modray of candidmoney.com has said that in many cases, people do not check the charges that apply when taking out credit.

"For example, borrow £1,000 on a card charging 18 per cent APR (annual percentage rate) while making only the minimum monthly payments and it could take you over 12 years to clear the debt at a total cost of more than £1,700," he explained.

Mr Modray added that before people borrow from a credit card, they should always use an online calculator to work out how much they will end up getting charged.

This follows a request by consumer campaign group Which? to the Office of Fair Trading, asking that it investigate excessive credit and debit card surcharges.