Slough spy plane detects 6,000 illegal 'beds in sheds' with thermal imaging

Slough Borough Council spends 24,000 building up 3D map from air Authority uncovered 6,350 suspicious sheds and garages emitting heat Thousands could be living in converted outbuildings without permission Plane criss-crossed streets, picking up heat signals from outbuildings Analysis of images from night flight revealed suspicious dwellings

By Martin Robinson and Mark Duell

PUBLISHED: 10:57 EST, 30 July 2013 | UPDATED: 01:51 EST, 31 July 2013

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A spy plane equipped with a thermal imaging camera has found that more than 6,000 outbuildings in one town could be 'beds in sheds' converted by rogue landlords.

Slough Borough Council is the first local authority in the country to pay for the specially-adapted aircraft to fly over streets picking up heat from sheds and garages.

It spent 24,000 on flights to build up a precise 3D map of every building in the Berkshire town. The results mean thousands could be living there without planning permission or contributing council tax.

Welcome to Slough: This thermogram image shows data recovered after flying over the town, with the red representing high levels of heat escaping. The council said the imaging helps them identify outhouses because the cameras can pick up areas of high heat loss - although few can be seen outside the houses in this snippet

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Slough spy plane detects 6,000 illegal 'beds in sheds' with thermal imaging