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A BURTON-BASED advice centre worker will appear on national television tonight to warn of the dangers of "irresponsible" mortgage lending.
Suman Antcliffe, advice services manager at East  Staffordshire Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), will alert viewers to sharp banking practices on the BBC1 current affairs programme Panorama at 8.30pm.
Earlier today, she was due to appear on the channel's Breakfast programme to discuss the issue.
The specialist, based at the town's Voluntary Services Centre, in Union Street, was chosen to appear because of her knowledge, built up during 13 years' work with desperate clients.
Although nervous about her "15 minutes of fame", Mrs Antcliffe hopes that her interviews will prevent people being caught in the debt trap and press lenders to improve their services.
The BBC programmes are designed to highlight the human misery caused by mortgage loans targeted at customers considered to have poor credit histories.
Known as "sub-prime" loans, they have disrupted global financial markets since it was revealed that debtors were unable to pay them off because of interest rate rises.
Mrs Antcliffe said: "We've been saying for some time that there are going to be these sorts of problems with the banks because they are doing these things."
UK repossessions had gone through roof, she said, revealing that a week ago she had identified 16 cases at Burton's County Court in just one day.
The adviser said: "My TV appearances will be about the fact that home ownership is not always as wonderful as people think, that there's another side to it and that people have to be careful when they take out a mortgage."
"They are heavily marketed, but the pitfalls for people unable to keep up payments are not explained."
"I feel nervous, but my main hope is that, by highlighting these things, we stop this happening for other people and that we hopefully put pressure on lenders to stop doing these things."
Her interviews come just a week after the tragic case of Swadlincote grandmother Beryl Brazier, who killed herself after being hounded by debt collectors for money she did not owe.
Mrs Antcliffe described the 61-year-old's death as "tragic and preventable", explaining that the Hill Street pensioner could have reported those pursuing her to financial regulators.
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