Skyscrapers are springing up across the country as businesses and property developers cash in on their popularity.

Britain has never been known for its high-rise buildings - but suddenly residents in major cities are seeing cranes pop up everywhere.

As technology advances and skyscrapers are built more quickly and efficiently, many people are getting used to living and working in modern towers.

Dr Ahmer Wadee, an engineering lecturer from Imperial College London, said companies like to locate their offices in tall buildings for a variety of reasons, not least because there is more space available.

"Building up means that big companies take up less of a footprint in the rest of the city, and can have many departments in the same building," he said.

But in London, most skyscrapers are congregated around Canary Wharf rather than the City.

Dr Wadee said that this was because the views of historical buildings were too important to be spoiled by modern towers.

"The Docklands are far enough away to be built up without London residents complaining," he said.

The situation is similar in Lancashire, where high-rise structures are shooting up in the Salford Quays, but Manchester city centre has been left relatively unscathed.

It seems that the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, is keen to encourage more towers on the capital city's skyline though.

He expects to see an average of one very tall building being constructed every year in London's Canary Wharf and the City to encourage major companies to base their offices here.

There are many projects in the pipeline for London - including the £305m London Bridge Tower due to start construction next year - although many of them are cancelled by developers at an early stage.

Peter Stewart, chairman of the Royal Institute of British Architects' planning group, said this was because many developers were unsure whether the towers would make them money.

"Skyscrapers can be very expensive to build," he said.

"The owners can lose a lot of money because they have to construct lifts and staircases, which are effectively dead space.

"Developers want to be more efficient than that in order to make the maximum profit."

Public opinion is often split between those who find modern towers exciting and dynamic and those who feel their traditional landscape is being spoiled.

Mr Stewart said: "The position of England is interesting if you think that the UK is poised between continental Europe and the US.

"So you have the historical parts of the city and the financial centres at odds with each other."

To many people, high-rise buildings represent business and commerce. The prestige and views associated with glass towers attract many international companies.

In Canary Wharf, two of the biggest companies in the world - Citibank and HSBC - stand next to each other in equally tall buildings.

James Newman, of skyscrapernews.com, said that high-rise buildings represent power and protect the company's image.

"Developers are becoming more confident because they are seeing how successful towers can be," he said.

"When people think of skyscrapers, they generally think of high-powered businesses and offices such as in Canary Wharf.

"But outside London, most skyscrapers are used for residential purposes."

A small apartment in Canary Wharf was recently bought for £5 million, and the rest of the tower was snapped up in a matter of weeks.

"People could live in a mansion block in Belgravia for that money but they want to live in these buildings," said Mr Newman.

"Why commute from Surrey when you can live ten minutes walk from work?"

Most experts believe that the number of high-rise buildings will increase over time as developers become more convinced that they will be sought after.

Mr Newman said: "We're going to see a lot more in the future.

"The more land prices go up, the more economically beneficial it is to put up tall buildings."

Copyright Press Association 2006