Brits are reaching for their credit cards more often as recent findings reveal a rise in the use of plastic money.

The trend has been criticised by an expert who is worried about the repercussions that are to follow the rise in the amount of credit card lending.

Chris Tapp, director of Credit Action, pointed out that Brits were becoming more and more dependent on credit for their financial needs.

He said: "Using a credit card to make purchases has become so much a part of their everyday lives that they are dependent on it to get by. That is massively worrying because it is not sustainable for the economy or for individuals."

Mr Tapp went on to explain that the trend could be indicative of people relaxing ahead of the stringent cuts being implemented by the government. He emphasised the need for keeping a close watch on the spending trends of people in order to assess the problem and put in place adequate measures to stop any future crises.

He added: "They [consumers] can't afford to live on what they have got but they don't have the discipline or budgeting skills and therefore they use a credit card as a financial crutch which allows them to get through in a way which will only provide a sticking plaster to an underlying problem."

His comments follow in the wake of recent statistics released by the Bank of England which show that credit card lending had increased to £0.1 billion in June this year. The figure was only slightly lower than the average for the past six months which was recorded at £0.2 billion.

The yearly growth rate of the consumer credit decreased by 0.1 percentage points to a negative 0.1 per cent.

Recently, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills announced that consumers could access their credit report online from CallCredit, Equifax and Experian by paying a small fee of £2.