Middle-aged, middle class women desperate to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ in their shopping habits are more likely to be in debt than any other group, research has revealed.

A study of people in more than £5,000 of debt found that married, home-owning women aged between 40 and 49 were the most likely to have money problems.

Experts said women in their 40s were prone to rack up debts on store cards and credit cards, which can have extremely high interest rates.

Deep in debt: Married, home-owning women in their 40s are the most likely to be in debt as their good credit ratins allowed them take out more and more credit cards

They warned that unlike poorer or younger debtors, women homeowners in their 40s are often allowed to take out more and more credit cards despite their debt spiralling because they are able to maintain good credit ratings.

The average debt of women in their 40s who asked financial advisors PayPlan for help was more than £37,500, compared to the average for all ages of around £28,900.

More than four out of five of the 37,000 PayPlan customers studied had got into debts using store or credit cards.

One 43-year-old woman, named only as Janice, said she had turned to credit cards despite her healthy salary to fund a high-flying lifestyle in London, ending up with £20,000 of debt on five credit cards.

She said: ‘I’d transfer the balance of one to a 0 per cent interest card but then not cut up the original and continue using it. It was just too easy, it wasn’t like using real money.’

Hey big spender: Four out of five of the customers in the study had got into debts using store or credit cards

Money advisor Jane Clack said: ‘While middle-aged earners may be taking more home than any other age group, they’ve also had years for debt to build up and interest rates.

‘These people tend not to realise how bad their situation is until it’s too late. Of course, debt affects all people regardless of gender and age but we are seeing a trend towards middle-aged, middle class women in particular.

‘With a good income, middle-aged women have no problem in getting hold of credit cards, encouraging a serious lack of awareness of the risks associated with easy access to finance.

‘Sadly, these statistics show that people, particularly women, in this age range are more willing to overspend and live in luxury than to be seen as cheap and dull.

‘When it comes to debt, there is nothing more troubling than over-confidence, something that many seemingly successful middle-aged women have to spare.’