With less than 48 hours to go before gender pay gap reports have to be filed, a number of East Anglia's biggest companies are yet to submit their figures.

With the Easter weekend seeing little activity on the government's dedicated reporting website, around a dozen of the largest firms based in the region have still not submitted their reports – which must be filed before Thursday (April 5).

Under the legislation all UK companies with 250 or more employees are required to report the gap between the pay and bonuses of men and women in their organisations and the proportion of men and women in each of four pay bands.

READ MORE: Figures reveal difference in gender pay gaps at region's manufacturing firmsREAD MORE: Norwich City blames 76% gender pay gap on 'nature of professional football'Of the gender pay and bonus gaps published so far, the vast majority show men taking a greater share.

Some exceptions have been revealed – at sports vehicle manufacturer Ransomes Jacobsen in Ipswich, the median pay gap is 7% in favour of women, and at media group Archant women earned 8.5% more in bonuses, according to the mean average.

Many have used their gender pay gap reports to explain the discrepancies in pay, with the majority stating that the uneven distribution of men and women across the pay bands in their companies – with lower-paying jobs more commonly occupied by women – is driving the gap.