WALKING down the high street on a Saturday afternoon attention is usually commanded by the shop windows. But anyone who looks a bit further up will notice a surfeit of cameras attached to walls and roofs whose attention is on them.

Keeping closer tabs on citizens is high on the agenda after the recent terrorist attacks in America. The introduction of identity cards has been mooted to make it easier to keep track of people. But many object to the idea, saying the cards are impractical.

It could also be said that they are unnecessary considering how much people are observed, monitored and even listened to as individuals going about their everyday business.

''Identity cards will eventually be brought in but I don't think they'll work to any real extent,'' says John Parker, author of a new book, Total Surveillance. ''There is all kinds of identification material about already, such as the new picture ID driving licences, and they're all as easily forged. Individuals are monitored intensely anyway, so they won't make much difference.''

Parker's book is an enlightening exposure of the true extent of the mass observation that goes on in this country. On an average day a person could be filmed up to 300 times by what is the highest concentration of CCTV networks in the world.

On top of this the workplace is becoming increasingly monitored, with e-mails being read and phone calls listened in to. And now workers are even being filmed as they work.

While home remains a sanctuary from prying eyes personal information about households and the individuals within those households is kept on around 200 databases. This information is freely available to anyone willing to pay for it.

IT all sounds like scary stuff and makes the ordeal the Big Brother contestants put themselves through seem like a breeze. At least they knew they were being watched.

The 300 times a day that people are being filmed can start from as soon as someone leaves the house in the morning. Surveillance technology is everywhere and is rapidly increasing in volume.

''You might start off in the morning by driving into the city centre and various forms of surveillance technology is following your journey,'' says Parker.

''Number plate recognition is used in car parks and CCTV is used in every store and all town centres. So in and out of stores and just generally walking around you're always being watched.

''If you then went on to a football match most grounds have every corner covered by CCTV. Driving down the motorway your car is monitored every four minutes by traffic sensors, so in an average day we are very closely watched.''

Most people aren't that bothered about constant surveillance. After all, if someone is doing nothing wrong then they've got nothing to worry about.

THROUGH CCTV individuals are usually being watched by teams employed by local authorities or security men. The purpose in watching is merely to prevent crime or catch the culprits.

At the moment CCTV surveillance isn't invasive to the law-abiding citizen. But talk of adding technology to CCTV cameras that will enable them to hear conversations will anger anyone who cherishes their privacy.

It would seem privacy is becoming a rare commodity. There is a vast amount of personal information about individuals readily available on around 200 databases and lists. This information is out in the public domain and it's all perfectly legal for companies to access it and make use of it.

''These systems only become invasive when they are all put together,'' says Parker. ''One of the most insidious aspects of modern technology is the way information companies, credit companies and so on are able to build a massive database on every member of the British public.

''For example, the credit reference agency Experian is just one of a number of companies across the world that boast information on 98 per cent of householders in Britain. This is not just the main person in the house, it is every person.

''That information builds and builds from the moment you open your first account. There's also things like postcode checks. All major stores are linked to a postcode database and insurance companies can now easily check your car registration number. They just have everything on us basically.''

Office life is also being increasingly watched. Technology is available for bosses to keep a very close eye on what their employees are up to.

''There is software that many firms are using to record and transmit to a supervisor every keystroke you're making,'' says Parker. ''While most people accept that companies can read their e-mails, the idea of general surveillance such as CCTV at work might not be so easy to swallow.''

Outside the office there is no escape. Smart cards that are used for security reasons by companies are now developing another use. The technology is there for smart cards to be used to track employees. If an employee is out of the office in a place they shouldn't be, an alert can be sent to your boss.

This is only the tip of an enormous iceberg. The potential for Britain to turn into George Orwell's nightmare vision in 1984 is there, but does the public really have anything to worry about?

THE great concern should be about how things like CCTV and surveillance in the workplace operate,'' says Parker.

''But databasing is the most alarming system and it's getting out of hand. Virtually everything is known about you.

''People should be very wary about what they sign and they should always tick the privacy box and give instructions that information is not to be passed on to any other company.

''We're naked people basically because there's nothing that anyone with the wherewithal to do it can't find out about us. People just have to be much more vigilant about the information they give away.''

n Total Surveillance, by John Parker, is published by Piatkus Books on Thursday, October 11, priced at £10.99.