Slough spy plane detects 6,000 illegal 'beds in sheds' with thermal imaging Slough Borough Council spent £24,000 building up 3D map from air Uncovered 6.350 suspicious shed and garages emitting heat Thousands could be living in converted outbuildings without permission 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 this way 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 heat inside homes, shed and garages Illegal: Slough Council hopes to crackdown on rogue landlords turning sheds into illegal living accommodation, such as this conversion, pictured At the bottom of the garden: Large numbers of homes are believed to have converted outbuildings like this one without permission The plane criss-crossed streets, picking up heat signals from outbuildings which could signify they are being used as "sheds with beds." Analysis of the images captured in the two hour night flight has now revealed a staggering 6,350 suspicious dwellings in the borough. Although many of the outbuildings are habitable, some are described as being unsafe, with little or no heating, or do not comply with building or fire safety regulations. Landlords face £200 pound fines and the prospect of their so called 'beds in sheds' being demolished if caught illegally renting them out. The council commissioned aerial imaging company Bluesky International to produce a thermal map of the town to target dodgy landlords and people living under the radar. Spot the difference: A normal map of a street and a school, and then how it looks with the thermal camera UK first: A plane equipped with thermal imaging cameras flew over the town of Slough, Berkshire, to track sheds being used to illegally house immigrants (computerised image) The thermal imaging cameras on the plane, stock image pictured, is able to locate where people are living in the town by their body heat During a single flight in March they gathered thermal, 3D and aerial images which allowed officers to pinpoint warm areas in outbuildings. Initial analysis of the images from just a small part of the town highlighted 211 buildings that needed further investigation, but a further 6,139 have now been identified. A spokesman for the council said the outbuildings do not have planning permission to be used as accommodation and further checks will now be carried out to find out if people are living in them, 'The raw data we've received from Bluesky is very useful because for the first time it gives us an accurate figure of the number of outbuildings we have in the borough that we need to investigate,' said Ray Haslam, head of environmental services and resilience at Slough Borough Council. 'People may well be using their outbuildings for legitimate purposes, so we don't want to rush into assumptions that they're all being used for housing, but this certainly gives us a good starting point and we've already started investigative work.' Growing problem: Slough Council estimates there are between 700 to 3,000 'beds in shed' in the town Cut backs: Slough Council says people living in these illegal conversions use council services but do not contribute any council tax towards them Some of the buildings uncovered may be allowed to remain a dwelling but others will be demolished Slough Borough Council has been granted extra Government funding to help improve the condition of houses in multiple occupancy and reduce the number of beds in sheds. A project team has been set up who will liase with other agencies such as the police, Fire and Rescue service, Home Office and HMRC as part of the clamp down. A spokesman for the authority said those found living in illegal accommodation will be offered help finding somewhere else to live and welfare advice. The council's planning enforcement team has the power to force the demolition of illegal dwellings or demand they are returned to their legal use, such as a garage or store room. Councillor James Swindlehurst, deputy leader and commission for neighbourhoods and renewal, said: 'This issue has been of concern to us locally for some time and I am pleased strong foundations are now in place to enable us to tackle it effectively. Our primary concern is the health and wellbeing of people living in the outbuildings and we will be doing whatever the law allows us to do to protect them and hold rogue landlords to account, as well as enforcing regulations.