Services identify the troublespots and how to avoid financial difficulties as a result.

British small business believes the country's poor transport infrastructure is costing them a total of £755 million a year in lost productivity and profits, according to new research* from leading business cashflow provider Bibby Financial Services.

More than a third (38%) of businesses who responded to the survey estimate they are losing up to £10,000 a year because Britain's roads and railways are simply not good enough.17% of owners and managers believe the poor road and rail network costs them up to

£1,000 a year, while a further 17% believe their businesses lose between £1,000 and £5,000 a year. Another 4%, however, say they have to absorb in excess of £5,000 each year.

But it is the country's transport businesses that suffer the most as more than half (55%) estimate their productivity and profits are dragged down to the tune of £5,000 every year.

Top of the transport trauma list is traffic congestion, which according to 37% of owners and managers, has the single biggest negative effect on their businesses.

Other major issues caused by Britain's poor transport infrastructure include lost production time due to staff lateness, customer frustration caused by the inability to deliver on time and missing important business meetings. All of these are named by two out of ten business owners and managers as having a negative impact on the day-to-day running of their businesses.

Federation of Small Businesses Transport Chairman Steve Collie, said, 'Transport is an essential tool of the trade for small firms. They are heavily dependent on their cars, vans and the railways to get their goods and services to customers easily, quickly and cheaply. But transport problems, such as traffic jams, railway cancellations, and never-ending roadworks, severely handicap small businesses.

'A package of measures is what is needed to tackle the long standing transport problems - a combination of long term strategy and short term initiatives. Joined-up thinking is vital - local and central government must work together and both must view the transport infrastructure as a whole.'

David Robertson, Chief Executive of Bibby Financial Services, said, 'Britain's small businesses already have plenty on their plates, but it is clear that the country's roads and railways are causing no end of problems, many of which have a direct effect on the bottomline.

'When you are a small business owner or manager you have all the pressure of managing cash flow, meeting sales targets, dealing with red tape, recruiting skilled staff, keeping up with the competition and juggling the work/life balance. This is just one more complication that small business could well do without.

'The effects of the country's poor transport infrastructure are being felt right across the board. Every business sector seems to suffer as a result, but naturally those involved directly in transport have had to bear the brunt of the nation's travel nightmares.'

Bibby Financial Services specialises in the provision of a range of business cash flow solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises including invoice finance, export finance, trade services, asset finance, recruitment finance and a range of business support solutions across a wide range of industry sectors.

As a global services provider, Bibby Financial Services has a network of 15 operating units throughout the UK and Ireland, and overseas companies in the USA, Poland, Australia, and France, offering a local, fast and flexible approach to servicing clients.

Bibby Financial Services is wholly owned by the Bibby Line Group, a business-to-business services group with interests in ship owning and operation, shallow water accommodation, oil field services, contract logistics and business finance.

* The survey was undertaken by Continental Research on behalf of Bibby Financial Services in March 2005 among a national sample of 301 British small businesses with £50,000 to £1,000,000 turnovers.

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