Big 4 firm Deloitte has warned that new reporting rules have meant that companies' annual reports are becoming long and disordered.
The financial services firm has said that its 2008 survey of what companies are reporting in the narrative sections of their annual reports shows that the reports are on average 34 per cent longer than in 2005.
Deloitte audit partner Isobel Sharp said: "New requirements have been bolted on and new extensions will be added in 2008-9.
"The result is that the narrative sections of annual reports can have similarities with the famous Ronnie Corbett monologues, namely lots of diversions."
Ms Sharp added that new rules in narrative reporting meant that this was unlikely to change in the future.
The survey also showed that although a new requirement for a directors' responsibility statement has been introduced, only 54 per cent of companies had included this in their annual reports.
Meanwhile, lenders to the high-street group Woolworths have called in corporate restructuring experts from Deloitte.
It has been reported that the firm met with Woolworths and the retailer's advisors KPMG.
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