THE number of local people threatened with having their home repossessed has risen by nearly a quarter in one year.

And the figures - dubbed "staggering" by a homelessness charity - could be set to worsen as the credit crunch bites.

More than a million borrowers nationally will come off fixed interest mortgage deals this year, at the same time as householders face gas and electricity price hikes this winter.

One Citizens' Advice Bureau's project worker who helps people threatened with repossession at Bournemouth County Court had seen his workload double over recent months.

Lenders made 28,658 possession orders against borrowers in England and Wales in the second quarter of this year, 24 per cent more than the same time last year, according to the latest Ministry of Justice figures.

Possession claims - the step before cases goes to court - reached 1,979 in Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire in the first six months of this year, 22 per cent more than the same time last year.

At Bournemouth County Court, 349 mortgage possession claims were issued, up 23 per cent from 2007.

Martin Broad, manager of Bournemouth CAB admitted: "It's an alarming rise. It's depressing, but on the good side, we are often able to keep people in their own homes by making arrangements with their creditors.

"The fact is we're seeing more people facing greater financial pressures. Fuel poverty is a particular worry. People are feeling the pinch and getting themselves into robbing Peter to pay Paul, or paying bills by credit card."

Poole County Court saw a 23 per cent rise in mortgage possession claims between April and June compared with last year. Weymouth and Dorchester's figure was up by 42 per cent and Salisbury's by 92 per cent.

A spokesman for homelessness charity Shelter called on the government to help families at risk of losing their homes. "The rise in mortgage possession orders in the Bournemouth area is simply staggering," he said.

"Every week more people in need of help with mortgage arrears are coming to us for advice. The number of people being repossessed is rapidly rising and every day we are moving a step closer to the dark days of the last repossession explosion.

"Urgent action needs to be taken to prevent more people facing the nightmare of having their home taken away from them."

Geoff Walker, housing solutions manager for Bournemouth Borough Council, said: "The housing register already stands at 7,600 and is increasing by 20 to 30 applications per week.

"We have yet to see the full impact of mortgage repossessions, but if we repeat the experience of the last recession in the housing market, the situation will get steadily worse."

Last year, the number of repossession claims nationally reached a 15-year high.

The figures do not show how many homes are actually repossessed, as borrowers are often given more time to pay.

But earlier this month, the Council of Mortgage Lenders said nearly 19,000 UK homes had been repossessed in the first six months of the year, the highest figure for 12 years. The organisation predicts that repossession will rise by a half this year.