Squirrels
Squirrels on the Watling Estate
A grey squirrel needs two things: a way onto the roof and a way through it. Houses facing the parks, or with a tall tree in the back garden, provide the first. The second is usually at the roof edge, where fascia boards, soffits or the last row of tiles have weathered, or where a lean-to roof meets the back wall and gives a squirrel a flat place to work at. How squirrels get into a roof covers the usual entry points.
Terraces under one roof line
In a row of estate houses the lofts may be divided only by the party walls, and those do not always reach the tiles. A squirrel that got in at one end of the row can be heard over a bedroom three doors along. Before booking, ask the neighbours whether they have heard it too, because a gap on their side will let squirrels back into yours.
Is it squirrels?
Squirrels are active by day, and the noise is often loudest just after dawn and again in the early evening, while rats and mice are busier at night. What squirrels sound like and squirrels or rats help you judge. If it turns out to be rodents, rat control or mouse control is the right booking.
Before you book
Note when the noise happens and which part of the house it seems to be over. From the garden, look for a chewed gap at the roof edge, or a squirrel using a branch as a bridge onto the tiles. Check that the loft hatch can be reached safely and clear stored boxes away from it, and once trapping has started, keep children and pets out of the loft.
How the Trapping Service Runs
The £280 service is for trapping the grey squirrels using your roof space. You will be told beforehand what it involves and what we need from you, such as keeping the loft hatch shut and leaving anything that has been set up alone. The entry point stays open until the squirrels are gone, because one shut inside will chew through the ceiling or roof to get out, and in spring and summer there may be young that cannot leave on their own. How long it takes depends on the roof and how many are using it; how long squirrel control takes explains.
The repair afterwards
Once the loft is quiet, the gap needs a proper repair, normally by a roofer or carpenter, and branches that gave the squirrels their route should be cut back by a tree surgeon. Stopping squirrels getting back in describes what a lasting repair involves.
Owners, Tenants and the Roof
If you own the house, the trapping and the roof repair are both yours to arrange. If you rent from the council or a housing association, report the squirrels to your landlord first, because the roof is part of the building and any repair to it needs the landlord's agreement. Private tenants should tell the landlord or agent in writing, since the gap will need fixing whoever books the trapping. A landlord can book directly and pass on the tenant's name and number.
Grey Squirrels and the Law
Grey squirrels are an invasive non-native species. Once one has been caught it is an offence to release it or allow it to escape, so carrying it to Watling Park and letting it go is not allowed. The legal position on release sets it out, and Squirrel Control Barnet covers squirrels across the borough.
