FREESTON WATER TREATMENT LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
02002230 · ltd · incorporated 1986-03-20
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£9.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 36000
Sector: Water supply & waste
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 86-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 77/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 86). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 6 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

6 live charges · 6 lenders · oldest 34.4y

35/100
too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

  • · Oldest live charge is 34.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 6 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (79/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
6 charges (6/6 with lender, 6/6 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (3 active, 9 linked, 7 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
144 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £9,935
Net assets shrinking
Down £28,063 YoY

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£10k
↓ 74% YoY
Current Assets
£458k
↑ 3.0% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£92k£183k£275k£366k£458kMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets£102.1k£178.7k
Current assets£458.0k£444.9k
Debtors£346.5k£406.3k
Net assets£9.9k£38.0k

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Recent activity

Last 30 days
1
filing
  • • 1 officers
Last 90 days
2
filings
  • • 1 officers
  • • 1 mortgage
Last 180 days
8
filings
  • • 2 resolution
  • • 2 persons-with-significant-control
  • • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (39 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-06-25
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  2. 2026-05-12
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  3. 2026-05-12
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #6
  4. 2026-02-06
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  5. 2026-02-06
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  6. 2026-02-06
    📄
    memorandum-articles
    incorporation · MA
  7. 2026-02-06
    📄
    capital-name-of-class-of-shares
    capital · SH08
  8. 2026-01-28
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  9. 2026-01-28
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  10. 2025-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2024-09-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2023-08-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2022-11-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2021-07-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2021-01-08
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  16. 2021-01-08
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  17. 2020-07-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2019-07-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2018-01-01
    ➕
    FREESTON, Benjamin appointed
    director
  20. 2017-12-12
    ➖
    FREESTON, Nicholas Charles resigned
    director
  21. 2012-10-16
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
  22. 2012-10-11
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  23. 2012-08-10
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  24. 2010-06-10
    ➖
    FREESTON, Warwick Montague resigned
    director
  25. 2008-01-09
    ➕
    FREESTON, David Warwick appointed
    secretary
  26. 2008-01-09
    ➖
    FREESTON, Mary resigned
    secretary
  27. 2007-09-01
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  28. 2007-03-06
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
  29. 2001-12-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Nicholas Charles Freeston
  30. 2001-10-25
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  31. 2001-10-25
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  32. 1998-10-02
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  33. 1998-08-26
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: David Freeston
  34. 1997-10-08
    ➖
    ROWE, Nicholas Lindsay resigned
    director
  35. 1997-05-21
    ➕
    ROWE, Nicholas Lindsay appointed
    director
  36. 1996-04-25
    ➖
    RICHMOND, John resigned
    director
  37. 1996-03-22
    ➖
    GRAY, Anthony resigned
    director
  38. 1992-01-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
  39. 1986-03-20
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As FREESTON WATER TREATMENT LIMITED

Owner dependency

96/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "FREESTON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 86 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

76/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 86 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 40 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

1 med ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Benjamin Freeston
Individual · British · DOB 10/1976 · age 50
50–75%
50–75%50-75% shares · 50-75% voting30/11/2017
Mr Nicholas Charles Freeston
Individual · British · DOB 12/1947 · age 79
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr David Warwick Freestonceased 14/01/2026· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
🔒Advanced scoring suite

Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1986-03-20
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC36000 — SIC 36000

Registered office

Unit 1 Lulworth Business Centre
Nutwood Way Calmore Industrial Estate, Totton
Southampton
Hampshire
SO40 3WW

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-18
Last: 2025-10-04

Officers (3 active · 6 resigned)

FREESTON, David Warwick→
secretary · appointed 2008-01-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
FREESTON, Benjamin→
director · ~50y · appointed 2018-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
FREESTON, David Warwick→
director · ~86y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
FREESTON, Mary→
secretary · resigned 2008-01-09
Resigned
FREESTON, Nicholas Charles→
director · ~79y · resigned 2017-12-12
Resigned
FREESTON, Warwick Montague→
director · ~112y · resigned 2010-06-10
Resigned
GRAY, Anthony→
director · ~84y · resigned 1996-03-22
Resigned
RICHMOND, John→
director · ~86y · resigned 1996-04-25
Resigned
ROWE, Nicholas Lindsay→
director · ~79y · appointed 1997-05-21 · resigned 1997-10-08
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

6
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:6 of 6 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
Debenture deed1 property16/10/201212/05/2026
satisfied
HSBC
Hsbc Bank PLC
Debenture1 property06/03/200711/10/2012
satisfied
Nicholas Charles Freeston
Debenture1 property27/12/200110/08/2012
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Mortgage debenture1 property02/10/199801/09/2007
satisfied
David Freeston
Debenture1 property26/08/199825/10/2001
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Bank PLC
Single debenture1 property20/01/199225/10/2001

Recent filings (144 total)

change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-06-25
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2026-05-12
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2026-02-06
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2026-02-06
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2026-02-06
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2026-02-06
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-01-28
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-01-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-03