IT managers are on the brink of burn-out, working long hours to cope with increasing workloads caused by a shortage of resources.

Research from outsourcing internet infrastructure company Attenda found that one in four IT managers regularly worked 60-hour weeks, and 90 per cent admitted they often exceeded the 48-hour working week specified by the European Working Time Directive.

Top reasons for the extra hours were a lack of resources, followed by pressure of development work and out of hours support calls.

IT managers in the south of England were most likely to put in the extra hours, with 95 per cent working beyond the standard week. They were closely followed by workers in the midlands and London.

The government sector was the hardest hit of all with every IT worker interviewed saying they worked beyond the standard working week.

"The responsibility for maintaining a 24-hour web presence, essential for success in the internet economy, is being piled onto in-house IT departments on top of already heavy workloads," said David Godwin, vice president of strategy and marketing at Attenda.

"In-house technology teams are the junior doctors of the cyber world," he added. "The potential to cause damage to their companies' online presence is great."