There is a growing debt crisis among military veterans and those still serving in the armed forces, according to the Royal British Legion.

In an interview with BBC News, Mark Smith explained his situation.

Mark is 24 and is around £20,000 in the red. He trained as a Royal Marine at Lympstone but had to leave because of injury. Without a job and with no skills, Mark retrained as a tree surgeon. Constant pressure from his creditors finally forced Mark to ask for help.

Now he's benefitting from a new service set up in partnership with the Citizens Advice Bureau, the Royal British Legion and the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund.

Paul Baker, Citizens Advice Bureau: "We've got a massive client group here in the South West. There is a need for this service, almost one in ten people have served or are related to somebody who has served, and this client group is fiercely independent. I'm an ex-serviceman of many, many years and I understand how stubborn some people can be about asking for help, and I think that this service provides that bridge, between quality advice at the CAB whilst connecting with the British Legion and the RoyalAir Force Benevolent Fund. "

John Pentreath, Royal British Legion: "More and more so, we are getting cases of people with creditors banging on their doors metaphorically, threats of court action, not just threats but actual court action, bailiffs knocking on doors threatening to and seizing goods."

Mark is determined not to let that happen to him. He is working between 60 and 70 hours a week to pay off his debt.

Mark Smith, commented:"A few more years really ought to clear it. It's only just under £20 odd thousand now, so it's just a few years at the most really and it will be clear, be gone. The way I look at it, one month gone that's another payment gone."

The advice he's been getting has been timely; his partner is expecting another baby in November.