ACE DRAINAGE LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
07292095 · ltd · incorporated 2010-06-22
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Jun 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
72/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other specialised construction activities n.e.c.
Sector: Construction
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 72/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (65/100, director aged 64). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Confirmation statement overdue. Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)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
1 officers (1 active, 1 linked, 1 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
38 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
72/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review 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 · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-06-30 | 2024-06-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 100 | 100 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-08📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2020-07-13📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2020-07-13📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-03-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-03-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-30📍change-sail-address-company-with-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD02
- 2018-03-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-04📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2017-02-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-29📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2010-06-22🏢Company incorporatedAs ACE DRAINAGE LIMITED
- 2010-06-22➕MURRAY, Leslie Glenn appointeddirector
Owner dependency
98/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.
- +No director turnover: Company is 16 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
83/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 16 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 16 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
1 high ·Confirmation statement overdue
highAnnual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.
Evidence: Next due: 2026-07-06
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Leslie Glenn Murray Individual · British · DOB 05/1962 · age 64 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Construction · CO postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A AND H INVESTMENT (BUILDING) LIMITED→ 15204924 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| A C CONSTRUCTION (COLCHESTER) LIMITED→ 06654662 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| A CLASS ROOFING & BUILDING SERVICES LTD→ 10683738 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| A E SPARROW & SON LTD→ 12499981 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| A EASY COMPANY LTD→ 16500007 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A EVERITT PLUMBING & HEATING LIMITED→ 12008573 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| A.D. JAMES LTD.→ 05893730 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| A&D PLUMBING SERVICES LTD→ 10674476 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| A2Z SAFETY LTD→ 12531050 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ACCURUS PROPERTY SERVICES LIMITED→ 04762470 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ACON TRADES LTD→ 10641405 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ACORN LODGE PROPERTIES LIMITED→ 10797240 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated2010-06-22
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC43999 — Other specialised construction activities n.e.c.
Registered office
10 Abbey Crescent
Thorpe-Le-Soken
Clacton-On-Sea
CO16 0LH
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-03-31
Last made up to: 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-06OVERDUE
Last: 2025-06-22
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
MURRAY, Leslie Glenn→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 2010-06-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (38 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-03-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-03-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-03-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-03-29
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-01-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-15
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2020-07-13
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2020-07-13