The 45 hour thing is the minimum - it is likely that one will take longer - a rule of thumb is the minimum plus an hour for every year over 21 - I am sure that there are plenty of examples of sixty year olds who have done it in the minimum but as one gets older it does taken longer.
Intensive courses are possible in the UK if the right weather conditions are found - so maybe we're talking about an ideal summer. You also need a school with plenty of planes, losing a couple of days for the one trainer being off the line for repairs can be significant. Generally though it's the weather that gets you - I did an intensive course in Florida and even there weather wasa factor as was the fact that I took to going to the airport at the crack of dawn and flying circuits for an hour or so about half way through the course and outside the scheduled training schedule - set me in good stead though as my flight examiner commented that he'd never seen an intensive course ppl candidate with so many landings before, may also explain why I was happy to do my check ride in pretty horrendous winds when theose on the commercial course declined (that and I was due to fly out the next evening).
If you are going to do an intensive course I would say do not do it locally - do it somewhere away from home so that you can immerse yourself in the course.
That aid avoid parts of the US in high summere.g.