CLYDEBANK recorded the highest number of number of people going bankrupt in the UK, according to a top financial information group.

Experian's analysis showed that out of 10,000 households, 19 people in the area had declared themselves personally insolvent between April and June this year.

The figure represented the highest increase in the UK and showed a 23 per cent rise on the same period last year when 15 people went bankrupt.

Analysts said the economic downturn continued to hit the poorest sectors of the population with a marked rise in insolvencies among welfare-dependent groups and lower-income families.

Experts said insolvencies had increased most among the "claimant cultures" demographic group which represented some of the most disadvantaged individuals in the UK.

Chris Brown, of Clydebank Mortgage Matters said: "I must admit we've seen a big increase in the number of home possessions so that would suggest an increase in the number of bankruptcies.

"What I would say is we have seen an increase in the number of people who are struggling because credit culture has caught up with them." The "ex-council community" group, consisting of people living on council estates where a large proportion of residents have exercised their right to buy, and the "upper floor living" segment - people on limited incomes renting small flats from local councils - also saw insolvencies rise in the last quarter.

Other towns in the research also recorded bankruptcies with Kirkcaldy and Falkirk each having 17 and Glenrothes reporting 16 people who were unable to pay their personal debts.

In stark contrast, young professionals experienced the biggest drop in their share of personal insolvencies in the last 12 months.

The "career and kids" group, consisting of young, professional and middle-class families, saw its proportion of insolvencies decrease by to 5.99 per cent in the same period.

The "new homemakers" group, who are typically young professionals who have recently bought a new home, also experienced a fall in its share of insolvencies, from 6.03 per cent to 5.73 per cent.

Simon Waller, head of customer management and collections at Experian, said: "In a downturn the least well off are always likely to suffer most as financial pressures lead to the challenge of meeting their repayments.

"It remains vital for organisations to be able to identify and segment customers by their specific needs and characteristics and for lenders to identify those that are generally struggling to pay their bills. "Lenders can use this insight to gain an overall picture of an individual's circumstances so that they can treat customers sensitively and put in place measures to help the most vulnerable."