Urban exploring, or urbex, has been around for several years now, but it's only recently that it has begun to move from hobby to profession.

Urban explorers infiltrate the man made environment, photograph or film their exploits, then post them online.

But there are fears that the culture of one-upmanship which drives the participants to take greater risks, and the possibilities of sponsorship, could lead to serious injuries, or even deaths.

There's no doubt the footage gathered by the more adventurous explorers is breathtaking, as they perch on top of skyscrapers and communications towers, or delve into catacombs and caves.

Image: Urbex fans say it is an adrenaline rush. Pic: UrbanX

But when young people are seen swinging one-handed from structures hundreds of feet high, with no safety equipment, it's easy to see how the quest for internet likes and followers could lead to tragedy.


'Urban X' has been an urban explorer for nine years.

For him the rewards are in documenting places the public wouldn't ordinarily be able to see.

He says he and his friends are safety conscious, but admits the danger is undeniably part of the appeal.

Image: It is feared participants may increase risks to increase rewards

"There's always going to be a lot of dangers associated with the hobby and they go hand in hand with the thrill," he told Sky News.

"If anyone wanted a completely safe hobby they'd take up pool or darts.

"What we're doing is real, we're among the rotten floors, climbing on the tallest buildings every day, and it's a thrill."

Dr Bradley Garrett studied urban exploring as part of his PhD. He's concerned that the participants may feel the need to increase the risks to increase their rewards either social, or financial.

Image: One urban explorer overlooks the Houses of Parliament. pic: UrbanX

He says: "A lot of the urban explorers are incredibly skilled, and it could be that they are aware of what they are capable of and are able to make rational decisions.

"What concerns me more is that the companies who are pressuring them to undertake these risks.

"They're profiting off the shock values of these images, but those companies are not going to take any responsibility when someone actually falls of one of these buildings and dies."

There are legal ways to explore the type of buildings that attract urbex enthusiasts.

Image: Urban explorers photograph or film their exploits and post them online

Subterranea Britannica has1,000 members who get permission to explore places like disused military or government buildings.

Chairman of the group, Martin Dixon, says: "I think our excitement is seeing the places and understanding them and researching them and it isn't in the getting into them.

"I understand the thrill of the chase but it's not something that drives our members."

Club Secretary Linda Dixon says: "We differ in terms of making sure we have permission to go into places, and we're much more interested in recording it and studying it, knowing the history and understanding what it's used for, taking photographs and compiling reports.

Image: Urban Explorers say the hobby gives them a sense of autonomy

"It's not just about rushing around and taking photos and saying 'hey we got in there', it's more about understanding the places we go into."

But it looks like urban exploration, fuelled by the desire for internet notoriety, shows no signs of losing its popularity.

Some online videos showing Eastern European youths high-fiving each other on top of towers hundreds of metres high have been viewed millions of times.

Image: Many urban explorers are praised for their skills

And Dr Garrett has a grim prediction for the future of urbex.

"One of the reasons people do urban exploration is that it gives you a sense of self, or autonomy, a sense that you can make decisions for yourself," he says.

"As soon as you start exploring for someone else, you lose that control.

"You're being controlled by the social media feed in your pocket when you're standing on the edge of a skyscraper, and that's going to lead to some unfortunate situations.

"I would hate to say that people are going to die... but people are going to die."