UK business leads
Google Maps scraper UK
A Google Maps scraper for the UK turns a search such as plumbers in Manchester into a spreadsheet of businesses with phones, websites and ratings. The ONS counted 2,786,985 VAT and/or PAYE registered UK businesses in March 2026. Leadity covers all 12 UK regions, checks each number against Ofcom's register, and is free to start with 300 credits.
By the Leadity team Updated 15 October 2026 9 min read 7 sources How we work
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2.79 million
VAT and/or PAYE registered UK businesses, March 2026
How many businesses are there in the UK?
The ONS counted 2,786,985 VAT and/or PAYE registered businesses in the UK in March 2026, up 1.9% on March 2025. Government estimates that also count unregistered businesses are higher, at 5.7 million private sector businesses at the start of 2025.
Sole proprietorships are the largest group once unregistered businesses count: 3.2 million, or 57% of the 2025 estimate. Among VAT and/or PAYE businesses, companies are 77.3% and sole proprietors 13.6%. The split matters below, because UK marketing rules treat a sole trader like a consumer.
We found no official count of UK Google Maps listings, and Leadity has not yet measured UK listings, so this guide quotes no UK listing shares.
Sources Office for National Statistics Department for Business and Trade
Three official counts of UK businesses, and what each one counts
| Source | Count | What it counts |
|---|---|---|
| ONS, March 2026 | 2,786,985 | Businesses registered for VAT and/or PAYE |
| Department for Business and Trade, start of 2025 | 5,690,265 | All private sector businesses, registered or not; 4.3 million have no employees |
| Companies House, 31 March 2026 | 5,479,045 | Companies on the register; 4,930,634 once companies in dissolution or liquidation are left out |
ONS release of 24 September 2026, Department for Business and Trade release of 2 October 2025, Companies House release of 25 June 2026. Read 15 October 2026.
Sources Office for National Statistics Department for Business and Trade Companies House
What do UK business phone numbers look like?
UK mobile numbers start 07, written +44 7 from abroad, and landlines start 01 or 02. Many business lines start 03, 0800, 084 or 087. Ofcom's numbering plan sets the 07 range aside for mobiles, except 070 personal numbers and 076 pagers, which look like mobiles but are not.
Source Ofcom
UK number prefixes and how Leadity reads them
| Prefix | What it is | How Leadity reads it |
|---|---|---|
| 07 (071 to 075, 077 to 079) | Mobile | Mobile if Ofcom's register shows the range as issued; VoIP if a VoIP provider holds it |
| 070 | Personal numbering | Other or unknown, not a mobile |
| 076 | Pagers (Isle of Man mobiles use 07624) | Other or unknown, not a mobile |
| 01 and 02 | Geographic landline | Landline, or VoIP if a VoIP provider holds the range |
| 03, 055, 0800, 0808, 084, 087 | Non-geographic business numbers | Toll-free class |
| 056 | VoIP by designation | VoIP |
Ofcom's National Telephone Numbering Plan and Leadity's own phone rules, read 15 October 2026.
In Leadity's reading of the plan, Ofcom designates each range for one use and numbers do not port between the mobile and fixed ranges, so the range gives the line type. Ofcom's register then shows whether the range was ever issued and who holds it. The holder is who Ofcom issued the range to, which is not always the network serving the number today.
Each UK number goes through the same four steps as a US one: its format is standardized to +44, its range is checked as issued, the range holder is looked up, and its line type is set. See how to verify mobile numbers.
Source Leadity
What are the rules for contacting UK businesses?
In the UK the rules depend on who you contact. A company can be emailed or texted without prior consent, but a sole trader counts as an individual and needs consent. For live calls, the ICO says to screen business lists against both the TPS and the CTPS registers.
What this means for you: before you call, check your list against the TPS and the CTPS. Before you email or text a sole trader, get their consent. Leadity does neither for you.
Which UK phone register covers whom, and the email and text rule
| Who you contact | Phone register | Emails and texts |
|---|---|---|
| Company, LLP, Scottish partnership, government body | CTPS (Corporate TPS) | You can email or text any corporate body. Do not hide who you are, and give a valid contact address for opt-outs |
| Sole trader, some partnerships | TPS | Treated as individuals, so you need their specific consent. The soft opt-in covers past customers, not new prospects or bought-in lists |
ICO Guide to PECR, telephone marketing and electronic mail marketing pages. Read 15 October 2026.
Source Information Commissioner's Office
What must a UK cold caller do?
- Screen the list against both the TPS and the CTPS, because a Maps listing does not say which register a business is on
- Keep your own do-not-call list and screen against it too
- Say who is calling and let your number, or an alternative contact number, show
- Give a contact address or freephone number if asked
- You can call a business that has specifically consented to your calls
Source Information Commissioner's Office
How do you pull UK businesses from Google Maps?
Search one postcode district at a time. A Maps search shows a short, ranked list, so a scraper covers a region with many small searches and removes the repeats. Leadity splits the UK into 2,815 postcode districts across 12 regions.
Source Leadity
Six steps from a region to a UK call list
Pick a trade and a region
Leadity's UK map has 12 regions: North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East, South West, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Tip: The Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey are not sold.
Search by postcode district
Each district, such as M1 or SW1A, is one search. Write the query the way a UK address ends: the trade, the district, the town, United Kingdom.
Tip: M1 is also a motorway, so put the town beside it, like Manchester M1.
Keep only UK businesses
Maps sometimes fills a search with distant results. Leadity drops any listing pinned outside the United Kingdom.
Check each phone number
Standardize it to +44, check that Ofcom issued the range, and read the type: mobile, landline, VoIP, toll-free or other.
Remove businesses you already have
Leadity skips businesses already in your account and does not bill them.
Export the finished list
A CSV or Excel file with name, address, time zone, category, phone, website, rating, review count and Google Maps link.
A region split into postcode districts and swept one at a time. Illustration. Names and numbers are examples.
Build this list for plumbers in Manchester with mobiles only: your 300 free credits cover the first 300 checked mobiles.
Get Manchester plumber mobiles Free trial: 300 credits at sign-up, no card.
Does a UK list cost more than a US one?
No: Leadity uses one rate card in every country and bills in US dollars. A business record is 0.2 credit and the mobile filter adds 0.8, so a plumber with a verified mobile costs 1 credit. Records start from $0.0032 and verified mobiles from $0.016.
Source Leadity
New order Scraped live when you order
- Trade
- Plumbers
- Area
- Manchester, UK
Filters Credits a lead
- Carrier-verified mobile 1 credit with the base (on) +0.8
- No website (off) +1
- Owner name (off) +2.5
- Email only (off) +0.8
- Verified email (off) +1.3
- Niche match (off) +0.5
Each lead costs
1 credit
0.2 base + 0.8 mobile
From $0.016 a lead
300 credits buy 300 of these leads
A lead that fails a filter is never billed
Questions people ask
How many businesses are there in the UK?
According to the ONS release of 24 September 2026, the UK had 2,786,985 VAT and/or PAYE registered businesses in March 2026. Counting unregistered ones, the Department for Business and Trade estimates 5.7 million private sector businesses, of which 4.3 million have no employees.
Can you cold call UK businesses?
Yes, with screening. The ICO says business-to-business calls need a check against both the TPS, where sole traders and some partnerships register, and the CTPS, where companies and government bodies register. You must also keep your own do-not-call list and say who is calling. This is not legal advice.
How do I tell a UK mobile number from a landline?
UK mobile numbers start 07, written +44 7 from abroad, while landlines start 01 or 02. Beware 070 personal numbers and 076 pagers, which look like mobiles but are not. Leadity reads the type from Ofcom's register, so the mobile filter delivers only numbers that read as mobiles.
Does Leadity charge more for UK leads?
Leadity uses one rate card in every country and bills in US dollars. A business record is 0.2 credit, so records start from $0.0032, and a verified mobile adds 0.8 credit, taking it from $0.016. Every new account gets 300 free credits at sign-up, with no card needed.
Does Leadity check UK numbers against the TPS?
Leadity checks the line type of each UK number but does not screen lists against the TPS or CTPS, and it does not collect consent. You need to run that step yourself before you call, and the Terms of Service say the same. Sole traders count as individuals, so screen them too.
Which parts of the UK can I scrape with Leadity?
Leadity sells all 12 UK regions: the nine English regions, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Each is searched postcode district by postcode district. The Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey are not sold, and niche names are in US English, so check the first results of a small order.
Sources
Where the figures on this page come from, with the date we read each one.
- Office for National Statistics UK business: activity, size and location: 2026 Read 15 October 2026
- Department for Business and Trade Business population estimates for the UK and regions 2025: statistical release Read 15 October 2026
- Companies House Companies register activities: statistical release April 2025 to March 2026 Read 15 October 2026
- Information Commissioner's Office Telephone marketing (Guide to PECR) Read 15 October 2026
- Information Commissioner's Office Electronic mail marketing (Guide to PECR) Read 15 October 2026
- Ofcom The National Telephone Numbering Plan (version with effect from 22 April 2025) Read 15 October 2026
- Leadity Leadity coverage, pricing and terms Read 15 October 2026
Fresh leads in under 2 minutes
Pick a trade and a place. Your 300 free credits cover 1,500 business records or 300 verified mobiles. After that, you pay only for leads that pass your filters.