Working from home could help prevent delinquency among teenagers, it has been revealed.

The Youth Review from government thinktank Make Space recommends flexible working arrangements for parents of teenagers in order to allow them to be adequately supervised during school holidays.

Of the 16,000 teenagers consulted by researchers, 80 per cent claimed they had nowhere to go outside of school hours.

And 70 per cent expressed the opinion that the boredom due to this may be the main cause of anti-social behaviour.

Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, said: "The teenage years are a crucial stage of development when strong and sometimes negative pathways into adulthood and life chances are formed and in many cases set."

Research conducted by NatWest recently found that having children is the primary factor for ten per cent of entrepreneurs who choose to start their own business.

But the flexibility offered by working from home was rated as the main driving issue by 77 per cent of new business start-ups.

Chief executive of business banking Steve Pateman urged those considering setting up their own business to seek expert advice on any areas of doubt.