White van males are £6,000 out of pocket as prospects fail to cough up the money

White van men are typically more than £6,000 out of pocket due to customers failing to pay up, new data shows.

One in five tradesmen and women said the scourge of late payments left them unable to pay suppliers or even cover their own personal and family expenses. Around a third reported suffering stress and anxiety or said their cash-flow crisis had led to them paying their own workers late or even letting them go. More than a fifth, some 22%, said time spent pestering clients to stump up for completed jobs took them away from finding fresh work.

British grafters are owed an average of £6,210, with more than eight in 10 chasing late payments. Almost three quarters (73%) are pursuing an average of seven unpaid invoices.

Around one in 10 have been forced to write off a bill of more than £10,000, while two in five said the problem was worse than last year.

Nearly one in 10 are owed more than £25,000, while one in seven are currently chasing 10 or more payments.

Some 13% of Britain’s white van army worry they may face bankruptcy due to late payers, found the survey of 2,000 respondents by Direct Line business insurance.

Some 84% had chased payments through small claims courts, but fewer than half were successful.

More than a third (36%) now insist on taking half of the payment up front, and one in five issue late payment fees to slippery customers.

Direct Line business insurance product manager Alison Traboulsi said: “Late payments can quickly become a big problem for small and independent businesses, leaving them unable to cover personal and business expenses, resulting in cash-flow problems, stress and legal headaches.

“Pursuing late payments is time-consuming and eats into the time that could be spent working or with family and friends.”

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