The government has pledged to help homeowners who are struggling with their mortgage payments. The Council of Mortgage Lenders says there are 11.8 million outstanding mortgages in the UK.

The help the government will provide comes by way of free legal advice for those at risk of repossession, along with specialist training for debt advice agencies.

The pledge came after key figures from the mortgage industry met Chancellor Alistair Darling and Housing minister Caroline Flint at Downing Street.

Figures published later are set to show more people facing the first stage of the repossession process, but experts say the current situation is a long way off from the problems seen in the early 1990s.

The limited package of measures are aimed at the million-plus borrowers whose fixed-rate deals come to an end this year.

These borrowers are more likely to face higher repayments and have less availability when it comes to mortgage deals as a result of the credit squeeze.

The new debt advice service would be set up through the National Housing Service in order to limit the impact. Specialist training will be available for Citizen’s Advice Service and local authority staff, and lenders will be encourage to give advice to borrowers in difficulty.

Householders in England will also gain free legal representation at all county courts. Ms Flint said, “For the minority of owners who may need support and advice now, we want to ensure it is there for them in the right place and at the right time.”

“It is important to recognize we are dealing with an entirely different situation in the market from what was experienced in the early 1990s,

The fundamentals of the housing market remain strong with high employment, low interest rates, and long term demand for homes from first time buyers.” She added.

Later today, the Ministry of Justice will publish figures on the number of possession claims – the first stage of the repossession process – for the first three months of the year. The information is expected to show that the credit crunch on household finances has caused a rise in claims.

The number of actual repossessions, across the UK and by private lenders only, is shown in figures from the Council of Mortgage lenders (CML) which are published twice a year. The Data for the fist half of this year will be published in August. The CML predicts there will be around 45,000 repossessions this year, an increase of 27,100 from last year.