SEWAGE TREATMENT SERVICES LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
04855370 · ltd · incorporated 2003-08-04
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 Jul 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
76/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 39000
Sector: Water supply & waste
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 76/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 4 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
64 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
76/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
65
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-07-31 | 2024-07-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 200 | 200 |
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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-22📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2023-11-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-18📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2021-11-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-26📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-08-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-08-26📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-08-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-08-26📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2020-11-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-08-18➕BURNETT, Lorna Margery appointeddirector
- 2016-08-18➖LONG, Brian resigneddirector
- 2016-08-17➖LONG, Brian resignedsecretary
- 2014-08-15➖CROFTS, Vaughn Robert resigneddirector
- 2003-08-04🏢Company incorporatedAs SEWAGE TREATMENT SERVICES LIMITED
- 2003-08-04➕BURNETT, John Stewart appointeddirector
- 2003-08-04➕LONG, Brian appointedsecretary
- 2003-08-04➕CROFTS, Vaughn Robert appointeddirector
- 2003-08-04➕LONG, Brian appointeddirector
Owner dependency
76/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
66/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr John Stewart Burnett Individual · British · DOB 06/1971 · age 55 | 50–75% | 50–75% | 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting | 18/08/2016 |
Mrs Lorna Margery Burnett Individual · British · DOB 09/1971 · age 55 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 18/08/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Energy & utilities · TA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EVENT SPARKS CABLE RECYCLING LIMITED→ 13278433 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| FUEL DOCTOR SW LIMITED→ 08819525 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| GLOBOVAC LTD→ 07136686 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| HYDROTECH ENVIRONMENTAL & CIVILS LTD→ 11156496 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| S/WEST RECYCLING LTD→ 09611261 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| SITIM SOLUTIONS LTD→ 11991773 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| SOMERSET AIR CONDITIONING LTD→ 16719154 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| SOUTH WEST TIPPERS LTD.→ 09955488 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| SOUTHERN HYDROGEN LTD→ 13051435 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| STOR 103 LTD→ 10132063 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| STOR 107 LTD→ 10132424 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| STOR 119 LTD→ 10132671 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated2003-08-04
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC39000 — SIC 39000
Registered office
6 Church Road
East Huntspill
Highbridge
Somerset
TA9 3PG
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last made up to: 2025-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-01
Last: 2025-08-18
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
BURNETT, John Stewart→
Activedirector · ~55y · appointed 2003-08-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BURNETT, Lorna Margery→
Activedirector · ~55y · appointed 2016-08-18
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LONG, Brian→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-08-04 · resigned 2016-08-17
CROFTS, Vaughn Robert→
Resigneddirector · ~75y · appointed 2003-08-04 · resigned 2014-08-15
LONG, Brian→
Resigneddirector · ~77y · appointed 2003-08-04 · resigned 2016-08-18
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (64 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-13
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-27
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2023-11-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-31
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2021-11-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-08
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-08-26
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-08-26
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-08-26
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-08-26