How a Squirrel Finds Its Way Into an Ealing Roof
Walpole Park's mature canopy
Trees around Walpole Park stand close enough to some rooflines that a squirrel can cross from branch to tile without touching the ground, and it's often the noise of that first landing — a scrabble across slates at dawn — that gets reported before any loft damage is even found.
Interwar semis in Northolt and Greenford
Further out, the garden trees that came with Northolt and Greenford's interwar semis offer the same kind of access on quieter streets. Chewed timber or flattened insulation is usually what's actually found first, discovered well after the squirrel has settled into a routine of coming and going.
Signs to Look For
- Scratching, running or gnawing sounds in the loft, especially early morning and dusk
- Chewed timber, insulation or cabling in the loft space
- A visible entry point — damaged fascia, soffit or roof tiles
- Squirrels seen repeatedly entering the roofline from a nearby tree or fence
Making Sure a Squirrel Doesn't Get Back In
A gap that's let one squirrel in will let the next one in too, so it needs a proper repair, not a temporary block, once trapping's finished.
