NHS staff make up the largest proportion of people relying on payday loans, a damning study has revealed.

Statistics released by the financial wellbeing platform FairQuid found health workers make up the majority of British payday loan applications, accounting for 3.47 per cent of all loans.

The research found that NHS staff applying for a loan earn £1,590 per month on average and seek to borrow just under a week’s wages (£363).

Other employers with large numbers of loan-reliant workers include Tesco (1.4 per cent), Asda (0.9 per cent) and Sainsbury’s (0.7 per cent).

According to the Financial Conduct Authority, approximately 5.4 million payday loans are issued to 1.7 million people every year.

Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail told the Star: “These shocking figures underline the damage that years of Tory pay cuts have done to NHS workers’ incomes.

“It is shameful that workers who are essential to the smooth running of our NHS are forced to turn to pay day lenders to make ends meet.

“Tory ministers should hang their heads in shame.”

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth called it an “utter indictment of Tory Britain.”

He said: “Our hardworking NHS staff every day go beyond the call of duty to care for our sick and elderly.

“They have been pushed to the brink and forced to endure years of pay cuts and increased pressure.

“That so many now turning to pay day loans to put food on their tables should shame Boris Johnson.”