Slough - Negative Perceptions

Negative Perceptions

• Slough has a strong rivalry with the nearby town of Staines-upon-Thames. Both are near Heathrow and vie for out-of-town businesses moving from London.
• According to research by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) in 2006, Slough is England's least tranquil area.
• Slough has been the subject of much derision. Some references are mentioned above. However, the BBC aired a four-part series called Making Slough Happy, where a team of experts attempted to bring happiness to the whole town.
• Slough-raised comedian Jimmy Carr said: "I grew up in Slough in the 1970s; if you want to know what Slough was like in the 1970s, go there now".
• The Slough Sewage Treatment Works between M4 Junction 6 and 7 sometimes releases malodorous fumes detectable to drivers on the nearby M4 motorway, a phenomenon known colloquially as the "Slough Stench". The plant was built between 1936 and 1938.
• In July 2007 Slough was the subject of a documentary by the BBC's Panorama series, entitled "Immigration – how we lost count". It highlighted recent growth in the immigrant population.
• The Sky TV programme Road Wars regularly featured Slough and highlighted its narcotics problem.
• Slough has a relatively high crime rate, with figures for all crime statistic categories above the English average and figures for several categories more than double the English average. According to British Crime Survey statistics, Slough has the worst rate of crime amongst the 15 most comparable other areas, and Slough is the least safe Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area in the whole of the Thames Valley and South East England. Slough has the highest level of reported anti-social behaviour in the Thames Valley Police area. Recent survey showed that per person per square mile Chalvey in Slough has the highest assault rate in the western world.