READER POLL: Spy plane used to find borough's beds in sheds

Spy plane used to find beds in sheds in Harrow's gardens

5:28pm Monday 3rd March 2014 in News By Bruce Thain

Spy plane technology has been used to map the borough and find more than 300 suspected cases of beds in sheds.

Harrow Borough Council used the aircraft to detect illegal developments in gardens, which are then rented out.

Before the operation, planning officers estimated there were 75 cases of unauthorised 'beds in sheds' in Harrow.

Now there is a list of 319 potential cases after the evening flight, during which a thermal imaging camera was used to take aerial shots of the borough.

Do you think it is right for the council to use this technology? Vote in our poll below.

Yellow areas of colour in the images show buildings with uninsulated roofs which could possibly be illegal structures.

Council leader Cllr Susan Hall said: The pressures of migration in London, fuelled by recent waves of new arrivals from Eastern Europe, are creating new stresses on local authorities that we just havent had to contend with before.

What was once thought even just 18 months ago to be a problem for the centre of big cities is now rippling out to the suburbs.

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READER POLL: Spy plane used to find borough's beds in sheds