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Slough tops list of best places to work in UK

It may be famous as home to David Brent, the office manager from hell in TV smash The Office, but Slough has been named the best town in the country for jobs.

A survey by job site Glassdoor found the Berkshire town, located on the M4 tech hub corridor, came first for work, the cost of living and employee satisfaction.

Its research showed Slough's median salaries are £35,000, the town has more than 26,000 vacancies and the median price of a house is £390,000.

It beat Manchester into second, Cambridge third, Swindon fourth and Stoke-on-Trent (BSE: 500251.BO - news) fifth.

Reading, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Bolton and Oxford make up the rest of the top 10.

Here are 10 good things (and some slightly surprising ones) about Slough.

:: Slough is home to the Mars factory, which has been churning out the popular chocolate bars since 1932. It currently produces 2.5 million bars each day.

:: Slough has excellent road transport links, being close to the M4, M25 and other A-roads, as well as being located just seven miles from Heathrow Airport.

:: The Beatles began their third nationwide British tour in Slough in 1963.

:: Slough is also on the Crossrail route which is opening in 2018 and is due to become fully operational the following year. It was recently announced that there would be more peak hours services from London Paddington to Slough and Maidenhead.

:: The centre of the town is currently benefiting from the £1bn Heart of Slough regeneration scheme.

:: The UK's first zebra crossing was opened in Slough in 1951.

:: Slough was the setting for the multi award-winning TV mockumentary comedy The Office, starring Ricky Gervais.

:: The first Electric Magnetic Telegraph was installed in Slough in 1843. It was used for the announcement of a Royal birth and for arresting a murderer.

:: Slough was recently found to be the second most productive place in the UK, much of it taking place on the Slough Trading Estate, which is home to around 350 businesses.

:: However, it is far from being the concrete jungle of caricature, as it boasts an impressive 42 parks and open spaces, making it an ideal location for young families or those who want some fresh air away from the city.

:: This is the 11th, but we can't have a list about Slough without mentioning THAT poem. Not many towns have a famous ode dedicated to them, but Slough has Sir John Betjeman's Come Friendly Bombs And Fall On Slough. However, the 1937 work is more a damning indictment of industrialisation, than a biting evisceration of the town.