FIFE remains the personal bankruptcy hotspot of the UK, a survey has shown.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s constituency of Kirkcaldy has taken over from Glenrothes as having the highest concentration of personal insolvencies in Britain in 2011. Dunfermline was third and Glenrothes fourth.

However, personal bankruptcy rates have dropped in the towns by 16%, 14% and 29% since 2010.

More than 60 individuals in every 10,000 households became insolvent in the three areas, new research from Experian says.

Accountant in Bankruptcy figures recently showed the number of personal insolvencies in Scotland hit 5319 between April and June, up from 4262 in the previous three months. The rise – the biggest since 2008 – was blamed on several factors, including rising utility, food and fuel prices and low wage inflation.

Simon Waller, head of collections for Experian UK and Ireland, said: “With some groups struggling to remain solvent in the current financial climate, it underlines why it is vital that lenders have the latest credit risk and collections capabilities to maintain a real-time view of each customer and understand their ability to meet their credit commitments.”