With fairy lights up in shopping centres and crackers on offer in supermarkets, Britain is already (__4__) up for Christmas. In this tough economic climate, many retailers are hoping the festive season will be a chance for the public to (__5__) their financial difficulties. And, for some companies, the millions of Britons now struggling to make ends meet are an early Christmas present. As banks stop lending and (__6__) eats away at the pay packets of those lucky enough to still be in work, the past year has seen an (__7__) in high-cost credit lending in the UK. Payday loan companies and hire purchase stores now (__8__) town centres around Britain, offering astronomical interest rates on loans to those who have few other options to (__9__) their outgoings. Last year, the payday loan sector was worth £1.7bn, a fivefold increase in the past few years. The pace of expansion is (__10__) too. Between April and May this year alone, there was a 58 per cent rise in the number of people applying for a payday loan via moneysupermarket.com.