A new pilot scheme in the Canadian city of Cambridge is aiming to reduce the number of cars on the roads by encouraging local government employees to work from home, according to reports.

The project has received support from the federal government and will see "city hall" staff doing their jobs from home over the next year or so, reports the Cambridge Times.

Environmental concerns are believed to have partly prompted the initiative, but bosses at the local authority’s offices suggest the homeworking scheme could also bring benefits in terms of productivity and staff recruitment.

Outlining other potential benefits, Frank Gowman, a treasurer for the City of Cambridge, told the newspaper: "If there was a pandemic, people would be asked not to come in to work and they could work from home.

"There are also cases where a parent ends up staying home with a sick child and this would cover that eventuality."

Meanwhile, Transport for London is among a host of organisations in the UK backing home-based working initiatives because of the potential for cutting congestion on some of the country’s busiest roads.