London (CNN Business) Continued uncertainty over Brexit has pushed companies in the United Kingdom to the "point of no return" and forced many to trigger expensive contingency plans.

Five leading UK business groups chastised the country's politicians on Wednesday, warning that the lack of progress on Brexit had harmed companies and hiked the risk of Britain crashing out of the European Union.

"Businesses have been watching in horror as politicians have focused on factional disputes rather than practical steps that business needs to move forward," the groups said in a rare joint statement.

The statement warned that many firms are "now putting in place contingency plans that are a significant drain of time and money." It said that hundreds of thousands of other companies remain unprepared for a messy Brexit.

"This is not where we should be," said the groups, which include the British Chambers of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry and the Federation of Small Businesses.