HIGH rents have forced a fifth of working adults aged under 35 in England to move back in with family over the last year, according to research published yesterday.

Twenty per cent of adults aged 20 to 34 told homelessness charity Shelter they had moved in with parents or grandparents in the last 12 months after having had a taste of independence.

And nearly four in 10 — dubbed the “clipped-wing” generation — had never left the parental nest, adding to those who had moved back in.

Sky-high rents and shortages of truly affordable housing were blamed by more than half of the 527 people polled for preventing them from escaping their childhood bedrooms.

Neil, a 34-year-old trainee teacher who lives with his parents, told Shelter that he cannot leave his parents’ home because his salary would not cover rent elsewhere.

He said: “Of course I’m grateful that I have the option to live with my parents, but it can be difficult still being under their roof in your 30s when you should be independent.

“If you’re young and working hard, having somewhere to call home shouldn’t be a luxury — it should be within reach.”

The government, which has rejected suggestions for rent controls, should “invest in genuinely affordable homes,” said Shelter chief executive Campbell Robb.

He added: “The upcoming spending review is the government’s last chance to prove they can give back hope to a generation who are being left behind.”

A huge 45 per cent of renters do not believe that homeownership will be a realistic option in their lifetime, according to recent research by Post Office Money Mortgages.