More than five million people have missed a credit card repayment in the last six months, according to a new survey.

MoneyExpert.com found that 11 per cent of cardholders had missed a payment in the six months to December 21 last year.

The group estimated that banks will have profited to the tune of £61 million from penalty fees.

“Debt worries have shot up the agenda as people start to count the cost of the UK's borrowing spree over the past few years,” said MoneyExpert’s chief executive Sean Gardner. “Missing a credit card payment comes at a financial cost of £12 a time but there are other factors to consider.

“The effect of a missed payment can last as long as three years on your credit file and it will be used by firms to decide whether they're going to lend you cash and what they're going to charge.”

The group said the figure was a two per cent increase on the six months to June 4, when nine per cent failed to make a monthly credit card repayment.