Owners and managers at the UK's small businesses are working long hours in an effort to ensure their enterprise succeeds, a new report suggests.

According to Bank of Scotland Business Banking, owners and managers at small firms typically work over 47 hours every week - equating to 24 million extra 'normal' work weeks per year.

In particular, small businesses which are enjoying rapid growth tend to have managers who put in extra hours. The managers and owners of firms with a growth rate of over ten per cent work around 51 hours every week.

Furthermore, the study showed that these driven managers are not taking holiday. In fact, the average annual holiday for the owner of a small firm in the UK is just 16.5 days.

Even when managers are able to get away from work, many find that IT systems like email and broadband connections mean that they constantly worry and check their operations.

"Contrary to the belief that Britain's long hours culture is hindering productivity, it appears that those entrepreneurs who invest more time in their business are experiencing higher growth," commented Kevin Gillett, the head of Bank of Scotland Business Banking.

"However, with long hours accompanying above-average stress levels, there is a clear downside to the pursuit of success for some small business owners."

According to recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent).