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Companies House has implored businesses to file annual accounts and other documents online.

The registrar has recently suffered issues with the water supply to its headquarters in Cardiff – limiting the number of staff available to process hard-copy accounts and other correspondence.

Although its water issues have now been fixed, the organisation warned businesses that “we still have very limited numbers in the office due to coronavirus restrictions”.

It added: “This means it’s taking longer than usual to process paper documents, forms and letters.”

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Companies House said that its difficulties come at a time of year when it typically has a heavy workload, as many businesses file their yearly reports.

“It’s a particularly busy time at Companies House with many companies due to file annual accounts before their deadline at the end of the month,” it said. “We’re also preparing for the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December.”

If possible, businesses are strongly encouraged to file accounts and any other documents via the registrar’s online systems.

“Our digital services are available 24 hours a day, seven days per week,” Companies House said. “We encourage all customers to file online before your deadline to make sure your documents are processed quickly and on time.”

It added: “If you cannot file online, please make sure you file your accounts as early as possible to meet your deadline and to avoid a late filing penalty.”