The consequences of bankruptcy can be devastating, as the Post Office scandal has laid bare.
As dramatised in the ITV hit Mr Bates vs the Post Office, several former Post Office workers were forced to go bankrupt after they struggled to cover the fictional financial losses out of their own pocket or fight in court to clear their name.
But thousands of people file for bankruptcy every month 2,466 in November alone up by 21 per cent in just one year.
And for many, it is their only option and can be a chance for those who are struggling with debts to wipe the slate clean.
Polly Arrowsmith, 56, is a qualified accountant who worked on some insolvency cases before she herself was made bankrupt