Britain’s Government plans to relax rules in England to make it easier for telecommunication companies to install mobile connectivity masts up to 5.48 metres tall.

Ministers want to improve mobile communications in rural areas and speed up the rollout of 4G technology, which refers to the fourth generation of mobile communications standards. There are currently some 51,000 masts in Britain.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport plans to introduce a Communications Bill by the end of the current Parliament to “make sure the UK continues to have a world-leading communications industry”.

4G provides faster mobile internet access to laptops, smartphones and other mobile devices and is already available in the US., while certain areas in the north and southwest of the UK are known as ‘not spots’ as coverage is so bad.

But many objectors complain the huge antennas are eyesores that spoil views in England’s more picturesque areas – often the rural regions that struggle most with good-quality telephone signals – a complaint also heard in Malta.

With this in mind, some designers have managed to disguise the towers as trees to blend in with nature – or even add a spot of greenery within London. However, as the photos show, this idea is not always successful.

Last month Maltese mobile operators told Times of Malta that the country was not ready for 4G technology, so the issue may not affect the island just yet.