More than 90 people on benefits in Hounslow have become their own bosses with the support of a government scheme.

The New Enterprise Allowance was launched in April 2011 to assist unemployed adults taking their first steps in the world of business.

As well as weekly payments and loans, budding entrepreneurs can receive expert advice from a mentor to help them develop their business plan.

The initiative has helped 6,500 people across London create their own companies in the last three years, including more than 90 in Hounslow, according to statistics published yesterday by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Kotatee Seyboe, a 40-year-old living in Hounslow, is among those to have benefited.

He set up Horizon-Eco, which collects unwanted goods from homes in England and sells them on in Africa, after losing his job as a recycling and waste management adviser at the Royal Agricultural University earlier this year.

"It was hard to find work because the Jobcentre didn't have much to offer graduates so I thought why not start my own business," said the father-of-two, who has a master's degree with merit in international relations.

"I knew there was a gap in the market but I don't think I would have been able to do it without the support from the NEA, which is a great scheme.

"There's a lot of demand from people who want to recycle but don't want to deal with their rubbish, which we're happy to do."

Mr Seyboe received support from his mentor to write a business plan and secure a £2,500 NEA loan, which he used to buy a van and pay for his waste carrier licence.

He now employs three people who help him clear and clean homes and offices, recycling as much as possible to reduce disposal costs for his customers.

Some of the unwanted goods like microwaves and second-hand clothes are then sold on in his native Liberia and other west African countries, where he also plans to provide dry toilets and create bio-diesel from used cooking oil.

* The New Enterprise Allowance is available to adults claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, lone parents on Income Support and those getting Employment and Support Allowance.

If their business plan is approved they are eligible for financial support over 26 weeks, up to a total of £1,274, and can also secure a loan.

For more about the scheme, which has helped more than 50,000 new businesses across the country, visit www.gov.uk/new-enterprise-allowance