Britons 'dreading' BoE D-Day

The first Thursday of the month is well known as a time when the City sits up and pays attention to the Bank of England's interest rate decision, but consumers are also paying attention - and worse, many are highly fearful, according to a new study.

An ICM study commissioned by Intelligent Finance has found that four in ten Britons say they are either "worried" or "extremely worried" when the big day approaches.

The survey points to the unbalanced state of many Britons' finances, with a couple more rate rises likely to have a significant impact on most.

"With interest rates on the rise and purse strings tightening, it's important to make every penny work as hard as possible," commented Intelligent Finance managing director Mark Parker.

But with mortgage help and other financial assitance readily available, perhaps consumers should reconsider come next Thursday and realise that things aren't as bad as all that.