THEY are referred to as the 'clipped wing generation.'

Young people who are eager to fly the nest are finding they are having to stay put because they cannot afford to rent or buy their own home.

New research from the homeless charity, Shelter, found that a lack of affordable housing was the single biggest reason so many young adults are unable to leave home.

Currently a quarter of all 20 to 34 year old working adults in England - 1.97 million people - are living with their parents.

According to the poll, over half of working young adults worry that living in the family home is holding them back from leading an independent life.

The latest Government figures show average house prices for the first-time buyers in the UK have risen by 11.3 per cent in a year.

Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, says: "The 'clipped wing generation' are finding themselves with no choice but to remain living with mum and dad well into adulthood. And those who aren't lucky enough to have this option face a lifetime of unstable, expensive private renting.

"The Government knows that the only way to turn the tide of the housing shortage is to fill the gap between the homes we have and the homes we need. Bolder action is needed to meet the demand for affordable homes and not inflate prices further. Politicians of all parties must now put stable homes for the next generation at the top of the agenda."

Circumstances meant Vicky Bradley, a 21-year-old regulation and policy consultant and her partner Paul Whitlock, 28, an infrastructure operations analyst, lived with their parents until their 20s to enable them to save for their first home.

Vicky says while some young people may enjoy the benefits of having everything done at home, many young people do want to move out but are struggling to save for a deposit.

"We didn't want to move out without having savings because we knew you couldn't save as much when living in your own home as when living at home. It was important we had the back-up there so when we were ready to buy we already had that. Had we not done that it would have taken three or four years to save the money," says Vicky.

Says Paul: "I lived with my parents until I was 22. I never went to uni so between these ages I was working and earning money. There were no plans for me to move out up until that age because I wasn't interested in saving."

He admits he was 'financially immature' and, like a lot of young people could find other things to spend his money on. He also considered the cost of such a commitment and the financial sacrifice he would have to make.

"The worry was also there that I didn’t know what I wanted to do, what direction I wanted to go in. I worried that if I made such a large commitment and something happened – I lost a job, wanted to go back into education etc, then it could limit my options or get me into debt, something like that."

Eventually he rented a house but circumstances, such as losing his job, forced him to move back in with his parents at the age of 25.

"If I hadn't moved back in with my parents, re-assessed and made the commitment to save like mad then I think we would still be at least a couple of years away from being in our own home."

Kris Brewster, Head of Products at Skipton Building Society, said: “It can be really tough for first time buyers of any age to get on to the property ladder. More and more people are living at home for longer or are forced to rent as their only alternative. But as a 161-year-old building society we still live to our founding mutual ethos of providing solutions to would-be homeowners, including first time buyers like Vicky.

“In fact, for the first six months of this year Skipton Building Society helped 2,247 first time buyers get the keys to their first home. This is something we’re proud of, and we work hard to ensure more young people can save up for, afford and get the keys to their dream home.”