Other reasons given for not meeting the deadline included the filer finding his wife in the bath with his accountant; the distraction of Valentine’s Day; and theft of documents by pirates.

Also featuring in the Companies House top ten was a claim that slugs had eaten the accounts, a director who said the accounts had been delivered ‘to the betting office next door to Companies House’ and the boss who said ‘my company was more successful than I thought that it would be, so I was too busy to file.’

The companies which gave these excuses all received a late filing penalty and unsuccessfully appealed. Penalties increase depending on how late the accounts are filed and the status of the company and are doubled if accounts are filed late for two years in a row.

Nick Parker, senior enforcement manager at Companies House, said: ‘Companies and directors must be aware of their responsibility to file accounts with Companies House. Companies can sign up to receive e-mail reminders, which can be sent to up to four e-mail addresses.

‘There will always be unforeseen events that mean a company is unable to file accounts on time. In exceptional circumstances, companies can request an extension to the filing deadline, however these requests must be received before the filing deadline.

‘Most companies can file accounts electronically – it’s faster and easier. The Companies House webfiling service has in-built checks to ensure that all the relevant information is provided before a customer can submit. It also provides filers with automatic e-mail confirmation that accounts have been received and once they have been accepted for filing.’

Report by Pat Sweet