Small firms are taking advantage of the Chancellor's ‘time to pay' offer - set out in the pre-Budget report - to pay tax bills later.

Less than a week after the announcement over 2,200 small companies have applied to HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC) to request extended time in their tax payments.

HMRC are willing to give companies several months to complete tax payments and take into account each business' individual circumstances.

"Any business can call HMRC to discuss options available to them and get an immediate response," said a spokesperson for the Treasury.

The HMRC hotline is 0845 302 1435