statute
The current legal interpretation is based around the last acknowledgement of the debt. Loans are a tricky business because it's purely based around the date that the loan was defaulted and the agreement terminated. Additionally, any payment that you have made will be treated as an acknowlegement of the debt and the 6 years will begin from the date of that payment.

CCJ's are another odd nuance. It is more than possible for a creditor sit on a debt for five and a half years and then issue proceedings and obtain a CCJ. That judgment will be on the register of Judgments, Orders and Fines for a period of six years from the date it was entered, and because you have avoided your creditor, you have effectively left yourself in a position where your credit is completely fucked for a period of over a decade.

If you have debt, it's always best to take steps to clear it if you can.
( Muns, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 13:17, 1 reply)

However
If they do take action at such a late stage, you could always offer a without predjudice offer to them of pennies on the pound. Odds are, they'll take it as it'll be easier (and cheaper) than enforcing a CCJ.
Also worth pointing out that many lenders don't bother too much about smaller (Roughly Sub £5k) loans for the same reasons. YMMV
( Alex Save a Tree, Eat a Beaver!, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 17:49, closed)