01
Scratching or rustling above the fireplace
Often the first sign, and usually heard in spring. If it is nesting season, do not light the fire.
Service 03
Bird nest removal and cowl fitting
Nest removal outside the breeding season, followed by a guard or cowl so it does not happen again next spring.
We do not take this work between March and August. Nesting birds are protected by law, and we will not book around that.
Jackdaws nest in chimneys because a chimney is, from a jackdaw's point of view, an excellent hole. A single nest can be a barrowload of sticks packed hard into the flue, and it will block the chimney completely. A blocked flue does not vent, and a fire lit under a blocked flue puts carbon monoxide into the room.
Timing matters and it is not negotiable. Wild birds, their active nests and their eggs are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, so we do not remove nests during the breeding season — roughly March to August. If you have birds in the chimney in April, the honest answer is that you wait, and you do not light the fire. We would rather tell you that than take the booking.
Once the nest is out, the flue is swept properly and a bird guard or cowl goes on the pot. Without one you are simply booking the same job again next spring, and the birds are faster than the diary.
What the visit covers
Every one of these, every time.
Nest cleared and removed
Material taken out of the flue and taken away — not left in a bag by your bins.
Flue swept after clearing
A nest is rarely the only thing up there. The flue is swept properly once it is clear.
Bird guard or cowl fitted
Fitted to the pot to stop it recurring, where the stack can be accessed safely.
Smoke-draw test and certificate
Proving the flue vents again before we leave.
When to book it
Any one of these is reason enough.
02
Twigs and debris in the hearth
Nesting material dropping down the flue. There is usually far more above than what has fallen.
03
The fire will not draw at all
A complete refusal to draw, rather than an occasional puff of smoke, often means a full blockage.
04
Birds seen going in at the pot
Worth acting on early — before nesting season starts, a guard is a much smaller job than a removal.
Questions
The ones we actually get asked.
Can you remove a nest in spring or summer?
No. Active nests, eggs and nesting birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and we do not take this work between March and August. Do not use the fireplace while a nest is in the flue — book the removal for the autumn and we will fit a guard at the same time.
Will a cowl stop the chimney working?
No. A correctly specified bird guard lets the flue vent normally while keeping birds out. Fitting the wrong type to the wrong appliance can affect draw, which is why it is worth having it specified rather than bought off a shelf.
Can you fit a cowl to any chimney?
Where the stack can be reached safely. Some are too high, too fragile or too exposed to work on without scaffolding or a tower, and in that case we will tell you what access the job actually needs rather than improvising.
How do I stop it happening again?
A guard on the pot is the only reliable answer. Sweeping alone does not deter them — they come back to the same chimney.
The other five jobs.
01
Open fires & inglenooks
Traditional brush-and-rod sweeping for open hearths, including wide inglenook throats and register plates that need lifting.
02
Wood burners & multi-fuel stoves
Baffle out, flue swept top to bottom, rope seals and glass checked. Stoves in constant use want sweeping twice a year, not once.
04
Thatched properties
Swept from below, with a full external inspection of the stack and ridge. Thatch is unforgiving of a flue nobody has looked at.
05
CCTV flue inspection
A camera survey of the full flue when something is not drawing right, before a sale, or after a chimney fire. You get the footage.
06
Smoke-draw & integrity testing
Proving a flue is sound and venting where it should. Booked on its own when a room smokes back, before a purchase, or after a fire.
Get a slot before the season fills.
Monday to Saturday, 7am–7pm. Voicemail answered same day.