The average UK household now has nearly £13,000 of debt to pay off, even before mortgages are taken into account, according to new research. A report published today by the Trade Union Centre (TUC) reveals that the UK's total unsecured debt now amounts to a record £349 billion, which equates to around £12,887 per household. This represents a rise of £1,117 on a year earlier, which the TUC says is the highest annual rise since 1997. Unsecured debt such as credit cards now counts for 27.4% of the average UK household's income, the highest it’s been since 2009 according to the TUC. The TUC's General Secretary, Frances O’Grady, called the rise in the UK's average household debt "a warning that families are struggling to get by on their pay alone". "There’s a lot the government could do to help," O'Grady urged. "Public sector workers who have suffered severe cuts to their real pay since 2010 are long overdue a decent pay rise. The minimum wage needs to keep rising so the lowest paid workers can keep up with rising prices. "And a major programme of public investment in rail, roads, new homes and clean energy could be targeted at communities where decent jobs are in short supply."