A LEADING student activist says new higher education fees are causing chaos as Freshers prepare for university.

Keith Lewis, the University of Central Lancashire's Students' Union education officer, has joined forces with the region's other SU representatives to condemn the new fees - which are still not fully established.

He claims that students will arrive at the UCLa unsure of how much they will have to fork out per term, how they will be expected to pay and whether they will have to foot the bill at all.

Preston's SU body is preparing itself for a deluge of calls from worried Freshers, who started arriving in Preston this week.

"Coming to university is a big change for any student," said Keith, "but things will be made worse by money worries.

"It is a ridiculous scenario because many students applied to university before they knew how much it would cost. And there have been rumours of who will and won't have to pay."

Local banks are offering advice to students by producing booklets on money management.

Helen Heyes, of the NatWest Bank, said: "Students need to look carefully at their finances. They should budget carefully and stick to it."

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