A recent YouGov survey commissioned by Skywire Software, a customer communications firm, has found that 30% of Britons delay paying their monthly bills on time.

Only 8% actually deal with their bills straightaway and 2% of Britons ignore them altogether, with ages 18-29 being the worst offenders within the last group. The 2% represents about a million people.

Against a backdrop of record levels of credit card debt, rising bankruptcies and an increase in repossessions, this passive attitude to dealing with personal debts is consistent with a broader trend.

The survey also showed that the organisation and readability of the actual bill plays an important role in influencing bill-paying behaviour.

Around 14% of respondents said that the printing on their bills was either too large or too small. Colour printing was also important, and 58% said that the use of red highlighting in particular would spur them to make a more rapid payment.

Tracey Robinson of Skyire Software said: “Receiving timely payment for bills is a major issue for financial services and utility companies in terms of managing the cash flow and customer relationships.

“However, many do not the impact that a well-designed bill can achieve in terms of getting those bills paid on time and grabbing people’s attention.”