3 Trade receivables are written off when there is no reasonable expectation of recovery. Indicators that there is no reasonable expectation of recovery include, amongst others, the failure of a debtor to engage in a repayment plan with S4Capital Group. The changes in the loss allowance for trade receivables is as follows: 2021 2020 £000 £000 Balance at the beginning of the year 3,362 1,445 Acquired through business combinations 399 – Utilised during the period (238) (467) Charge for the year 1,797 2,384 Balance as at the end of the year 5,320 3,362 Due to the short-term nature of the trade and other receivables, their carrying amount is considered to be the same as their fair value. Information about the Group’s exposure to credit risk, foreign currency risk and interest rate risk can be found in Note 5. S4Capital Group has pledged the assets of its material companies as security for a facility agreement. See Note 18 for further information. 17. Cash and cash equivalents The cash and cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows is made up as follows: 2021 2020 £000 £000 Cash and cash equivalents 301,021 142,052 Bank overdrafts included under loans and borrowings (1,899) – Cash and cash equivalents 299,122 142,052 S4Capital Annual Report and Accounts 2021 149