Spy in the sky to catch thousands of migrants living illegally in sheds and garages

Slough council is the first to use the cameras to clampdown on 'landlords' There are believed to be between 700 to 3,000 'beds in sheds' in Slough State-of-the-art kit will fly over the town to spot people living in outhouses

By Suzannah Hills

PUBLISHED: 08:38 EST, 19 February 2013 | UPDATED: 19:42 EST, 19 February 2013

Thousands of migrants living illegally in sheds and garages are to be flushed out by thermal images taken from the air.

The photographs will reveal if heat is coming from the outbuildings, indicating that they are inhabited.

Slough Borough Council believes that up to 3,000 people are being housed in the unsafe and primitive sheds with beds, which often lack heating or running water.

Illegal: Slough Council hopes to crackdown on rogue landlords turning sheds into illegal living accommodation, such as this conversion, pictured

UK first: A plane equipped with thermal imaging cameras will fly over the town of Slough, Berkshire, to track sheds being used to illegally house immigrants (computerised image)

A plane fitted with state-of-the-art kit will fly over the town as Slough becomes the first local authority in the UK to use thermal imaging to clamp down on people living illegally in outbuildings.

It is not known exactly how many so-called 'sheds with beds' there are in Slough, but estimates range from 700 to 3,000.

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Spy in the sky to catch thousands of migrants living illegally in sheds and garages