Professional Gutter Cleaning in Lancashire

What actually ends up in a Lancashire gutter

It is rarely just leaves. On most properties we clear, the bulk of the material is moss that has washed down off the roof, mixed with grit from the tiles, wind-blown debris off the fields and moors, and whatever the trees have contributed.

That is why gutter cleaning and roof condition are the same conversation. A roof carrying heavy moss will fill its gutters every single year no matter how often you clear them, because the source is still up there.

Silt is the part people do not picture. Ground-down moss and tile grit forms a dense sludge in the bottom of the gutter that will not wash through and sets like mortar if it is left over a summer.

What a blocked gutter does to a building

Water backs up over the front edge and runs down the wall. On render that shows as a dark vertical streak within a season. On brick and stone it soaks in, and on a north elevation it never dries out.

It also backs up behind the fascia, which is where the expensive damage happens. Wet fascia boards, rotting rafter feet and eventually soffit and roof timber. By the time it is visible from inside, it has usually been going on for two or three winters.

In frost, standing water in a blocked gutter freezes and expands, which splits plastic guttering at the joints and pulls cast iron off its brackets.

Cleared from the ground with a vacuum system

We clear gutters from the ground using a high-reach vacuum system on carbon poles, up to about three storeys. No ladders leaning against your gutters, no scaffold, nobody climbing over a conservatory roof.

It is safer, it is quicker, and it does not damage the guttering. A ladder resting on a plastic gutter is a very common cause of the sagging and joint failure we get called to look at afterwards.

It also means we can work on properties where ladder access simply is not possible, which covers a lot of Lancashire housing with conservatories, sloping ground and tight boundaries.

Camera footage, before and after

A camera on the end of the pole shows what is in the gutter before we start and what is left when we finish, and you get the footage.

That matters because gutter cleaning is the one job the customer cannot check. You cannot see into your own gutters from the ground, which makes it the easiest job in this trade to charge for and not really do.

The footage is your evidence that the work happened properly. Ask any gutter cleaner for it and see what they say.

Downpipes and the bit below ground

Clearing the gutter and not checking the downpipe is half a job. We run the downpipes through to confirm they are flowing, and check the gully at the bottom.

A blocked underground gully is very common on older Lancashire properties and it produces exactly the same symptoms as a blocked gutter: water pooling at the base of the wall, damp at low level, and a drive that never dries out.

If the blockage is below ground and beyond what we can clear, we will tell you rather than leaving you to find out.

Fascias, soffits and the front edge

While the poles are up, the outside face of the gutter, the fascia and the soffit can be washed down. That is what takes a property from clean gutters to looking properly cared for, and it is usually a small addition to the cost.

Green staining on white uPVC fascia is algae and comes off with the right treatment rather than scrubbing.

How often, honestly

Once a year suits most Lancashire properties. Twice if you have trees close to the house, a shallow pitch that holds debris, or a roof that is carrying a lot of moss.

Autumn is the sensible time, after the leaves are down and before the winter rain really arrives. If you only ever do it once, do it then.

If the roof is the source of the problem, dealing with that is the permanent fix. See roof cleaning and moss removal.

Signs yours needs doing before the next storm

You do not need to get up a ladder to work out whether your gutters are blocked. Stand outside in heavy rain and watch them. Water coming over the front edge anywhere along the run is the obvious one.

The quieter signs are worth knowing. Plants growing out of the gutter, which means there is enough soil in there to support them. Streaking on the wall below a particular joint. A downpipe that stays dry in a downpour while the others run. Staining on the fascia. Peeling paint or a damp patch on an upstairs internal wall.

The one people miss is the sound. A downpipe that gurgles, or one that makes no noise at all while it is raining hard, is telling you something.

What it costs

Price depends on the length of guttering, the number of storeys, access and how blocked it is. A standard semi is a short job. A large detached with multiple runs, a conservatory and a garage is not.

Fixed price in writing before we start, with the camera footage included as standard. See gutter cleaning for the full method or areas we cover for where we work.