More than 3.2 million UK adults own five or more credit cards, according to the latest research from financial comparison site Money Expert.

Credit card borrowing continued to grow last year, with 28% of UK consumers applying for more plastic, MoneyExpert has revealed. Around 21% of people applied for one more card in 2007, while another 7% applied for two or three.

Around 78% of adults own at least one credit card, according to MoneyExpert, and statistics from the British Bankers’ Association show £30.4bn is currently owed on credit cards.

Sean Gardner, chief executive of MoneyExpert, said the trend was healthy, if people are swapping debts from one card to another, taking advantage of 0% deals to cut down on interest payments.

“However there has to be real concern if people are using cards to keep their head above water. Anyone who is trying to juggle five or more credit cards and owes money on all of them is in real trouble,” he warned. “We would urge borrowers to take action now to get their debts under control as the days of easy credit are long gone. Card firms are starting to take a hard line as shown by Egg’s recent decision to stop customers spending on their plastic.”