Graduates face a "triple whammy" of more debt, higher interest rates and longer repayment periods if proposals to raise tuition fees are adopted, according to a study

A think tank says between 60-65 per cent of graduates will be worse off if they are charged an average of £7,000 per year, compared to the current system.

This comes as thousands of marchers braved the snow in London and city centres around the UK to protest a rise in University fees.

There was a heavy police presence on the streets of the capital as officers took no risks after the damage and violence seen at other demonstrations over the past fortnight.

Protesters were due to march from Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square but police held them back. As a result they scattered over the West End and Westm agasinister, causing many roads to be closed off.

Angry students gathered outside Nick Clegg's house in Sheffield, angry at the Liberal Democrats for what many view as a u-turn in policy.

Organisers are now planning a massive march being dubbed 'Day X' on the date MPs vote on the proposed rises in Parliament, something which is expected to happen before Christmas.