If you have spent this week in Slough, you probably have three things in common with everyone else.
You have complained about the heat.
You have had at least one meeting, event or social engagement cancelled because it was simply too hot.
And you have searched the internet to see how much an air conditioner, cooler, or fan would cost, only to decide it probably wasn’t worth it.
I had an exciting evening planned that never happened because my date was feeling unwell after becoming dehydrated. It seems even romance takes a back seat to the Great British heatwave.
The annual British tradition of discussing the weather was in overdrive; suddenly, every conversation started with, “It is not the heat, it is the humidity,” despite most of us having no real idea what that means.
Schools also became the centre of another great British guessing game. Every school seemed to have a different plan. Some stayed open, some closed early, and others carried on as though nothing unusual was happening. Family WhatsApp groups went into overdrive as parents tried to answer the hottest question of the week: “Will they or will they not?” It was less about football and more about whether the children would be going to school. Some schools had air conditioning, while others simply became too hot to use. For many parents, it felt as though the postcode lottery had become a temperature lottery.
One unexpected consequence was that some workplaces became busier than usual. Offices with decent air conditioning suddenly became surprisingly popular. Working from home lost some of its appeal when the living room felt more like a greenhouse than an office.
While most of us were searching for shade, a more important story quietly unfolded in the background.
The NHS, Slough Borough Council and community organisations all stepped up brilliantly. They shared practical advice, reminded people to drink plenty of water, avoid the midday sun, check on elderly neighbours and highlighted cool indoor spaces where residents could escape the worst of the afternoon heat. That is the community working at its best.
Then came the headlines.
The Guardian published an article suggesting that Slough is becoming an urban heat experiment due to its concentration of data centres. It certainly grabbed attention, claiming temperatures in the vicinity of data centres could be up to nine degrees higher. I live only a stone’s throw from a cluster of data centres, so perhaps that explains why I have been melting all week!
The research behind the story is interesting, but it is still emerging. Good journalism informs. Irresponsible journalism takes a sliver of evidence and stretches it to fit a predetermined narrative.
To the people of Slough, I say: data centres are here to stay, and that is something Slough should embrace rather than fear. They bring investment, create skilled jobs and have helped establish our town as one of Europe’s leading digital infrastructure hubs.
Rather than asking whether they should exist, perhaps we should ask a better question. How do we make the very best use of them? Can waste heat warm nearby buildings? Can new developments include more trees and shaded public spaces? Can Slough become the town that leads the way in greener, smarter digital infrastructure?
And if the data centres really are making Slough just a little warmer, perhaps we should send them a thank-you card next February, when the rest of the country is scraping ice off their windscreens.
Until then, keep the sun cream handy, drink plenty of water and remember that, if history tells us anything, by next week we will all be asking where the summer went.
