Nationwide has issued a warning about the worrying state of many people's bank accounts as it said more than six in ten people are worried about their aility to cover the essentials. The UK's biggest building society has carried out a survey that concluded that the number of people concerned about such money issues had climbed from 57 per cent to 62 per cent.

Most notably, the survey revealed that 32 per cent of respondents said they had only £100 or less in their accounts at the end of each month. Even more worryingly, nine per cent said they had no money left at all.

The pressures of inflation are also hitting people in the pocket, Nationwide said. Their own internal statistics, based on data from their members, shows that mortgage payment spending in August rose 11 per cent annually by value, Birmingham Live reports.

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Mark Nalder, payments strategy and performance director at Nationwide Building Society, said: "Money worries have peaked this year, which is perhaps not a surprise after many people juggled the expectation to spend during the summer with continued high living costs. As we enter the autumn, households will hope for some respite before the return of colder weather and the need to heat homes once again.

"While energy costs have dipped from their peak last year, the return of high utility bills will not be a welcome sight for many. Just as we saw last year, we expect many to cut back into their discretionary spending in order to manage their budgets."

Nationwide also said that the total value of money spent on rent climbed by 19 per cent annually in August. And they say there was an even bigger rise in spending in discount stores, with that figure up 28 per cent annually in the same month.

The Nationwide survey was conducted with more than 2,000 people across the UK by Censuswide. It was done between September 13 and 15.