Their own payment-practices filing · gov.uk
South West Water Limited pays suppliers in 30 days on average — within its stated 14–31 day terms
Their H2 2025 filing puts the average 16 days past the shortest term they state (14 days), still within their 31-day upper term.
- Their stated terms
- 14–31 days
- Paid outside agreed terms
- 28% of invoices
- Paid after 61+ days
- 7%
- Reporting period
- 1 Apr 2025 – 30 Sept 2025
- Source
- their gov.uk filing, filed 31 Oct 2025
Self-reported figures from their statutory filing. How this is compiled.
Terms vs reality · their H2 2025 filing
Paid within their stated range — 30 against 14–31 days
Where their invoices landed · share of all invoices
The pattern · last 6 of 15 reports
Holding steady around 30 days
The read · computed from their figures
South West Water Limited's H2 2025 filing puts their average at 30 days against stated terms of 14–31 days; 28% of invoices were paid outside agreed terms and 7% took 61 days or longer. Filed 31 Oct 2025.
The pattern is steady — their reported average moves within about ±3 days period to period.
On the latest reported averages: Faster than 74% of the 62 large companies reporting in water & waste.
That is 15 statutory periods on record (earliest H2 2018) — a historical record, not a promise for a new invoice.
In their own words · from the filing
Standard payment terms
30 days after the end of the month of receipt by the Company of a proper and undisputed invoice.
Dispute resolution
South West Water operates an automated invoice process. We work closely with our suppliers and aim to pay all invoices in a timely and accurate manner. Any disputes that arise are immediately brought to the attention of the dedicated Accounts Payable team and P2P/Transactional Services Manager who will engage with all relevant stakeholders to ensure a speedy and satisfactory resolution. Any disputes arising that are not resolved are escalated through the finance management structure and the Executive Management team member if required.
Other information
A valid invoice reflects: • registered and approved supplier • purchase order number • includes the necessary details of goods/services, date and financial detail and sent either electronically to [email protected] or by post. Whilst South West Water is not a member of the prompt payment code, we do adopt the principles of the code including: 1. paying suppliers on time – with average payment days which is below our standard terms and lower than 30 days 2. Clear guidance to suppliers – our terms and conditions are included within our purchase orders and on our website. 3. Encourage good practice – as part of Pennon Group Plc a Supplier Code of Conduct and Sustainable Procurement Policy
Every statutory report on record
Most recent first.
| Period | Avg days | Outside terms | 61+ days | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H2 2025 | 30 | 28% | 7% | 31 Oct 2025 |
| H1 2025 | 27 | 32% | 4% | 23 May 2025 |
| H2 2024 | 33 | 33% | 4% | 31 Oct 2024 |
| H1 2024 | 31 | 36% | 3% | 2 May 2024 |
| H2 2023 | 30 | 38% | 4% | 31 Oct 2023 |
| H1 2023 | 31 | 21% | 4% | 28 Apr 2023 |
| H2 2022 | 30 | 23% | 2% | 27 Oct 2022 |
| H1 2022 | 30 | 17% | 3% | 27 Apr 2022 |
| H2 2021 | 31 | 23% | 3% | 29 Oct 2021 |
| H1 2021 | 30 | 15% | 3% | 27 Apr 2021 |
| H2 2020 | 33 | 28% | 3% | 29 Oct 2020 |
| H1 2020 | 31 | 32% | 3% | 24 Apr 2020 |
| H2 2019 | 31 | 27% | 3% | 29 Oct 2019 |
| H1 2019 | 21 | 6% | 3% | 30 Apr 2019 |
| H2 2018 | 21 | 14% | 3% | 30 Oct 2018 |
On the public register · Companies House
Company record
- Status
- Active
- Type
- Private Limited Company
- Incorporated
- 1 Apr 1989
- Registered office
- PENINSULA HOUSE, EXETER, EX2 7HR
Illustrative · working-capital arithmetic
What a 30-day cycle ties up
A worked example, not a finding. On a hypothetical £12k/month account, at a 30-day vs a 14-day payment cycle.
Late Payment Act. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 lets a supplier charge statutory interest and fixed compensation on invoices paid past agreed terms. Work out what a late invoice is worth → Whether it applies depends on your contract — check with an adviser.
Quick answers · South West Water Limited
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More large companies in water & waste
South Staffordshire Water PLC · Southern Water Services Limited · South East Water Limited · Stirling Water Seafield Limited · South East London Combined Heat and Power Limited · Suez Recycling and Recovery UK Ltd
How UK payment reporting works
What is a Payment Practices Report?
What does "paid outside agreed terms" mean?
How often is this data updated?
Is this official government data?
How this is compiled. Built from official records only: Companies House and the gov.uk payment-practices service. The payment figures are self-reported — companies over the size threshold must file them by law and the board signs them off. No credit-agency data. The numbers are theirs; the plain-English read is ours. This is information compiled from public records under the Open Government Licence v3.0 — not a credit rating and not advice.
The 31-day comparison figure is the median across 6,104 companies with a current statutory report — every sector pooled, not an average of sector medians (how the figure is built).
Report PL-02366665 · latest period to 30 Sept 2025
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