From the trees to the roof line
Tree canopies pose little challenge to a grey squirrel, and a branch reaching over a roof acts as a ready-made bridge to the eaves, whether that's near Tolworth, where postwar and 1930s suburban housing along the A3 corridor, or elsewhere in the borough. From there it only needs a weak spot to get into the loft.
Riverside trees along the Thames
The mature trees lining the towpath and the riverside gardens close to Kingston's town centre put squirrels within easy reach of the older buildings backing onto the river, particularly where a roof has not been checked in a while.
Surbiton and New Malden's established gardens
The Victorian villas of Surbiton and the semis of New Malden both sit in streets with long-established gardens, and mature trees here give squirrels plenty of cover close to the roofline before they ever reach the house.
Confirming it is a squirrel
Timing alone often gives the strongest indication, true near Chessington too, where the borough's southernmost suburb. Timing gives it away: squirrels are only active during daylight hours, so early-morning and late-afternoon thumping fits a squirrel, while any noise overnight means rats or mice, true near New Malden too, where 1930s suburban semis and terraces spreading out towards the Merton and Wandsworth borders.
What not to do
- Block the entry hole while squirrels may still be inside; they chew a new way out, sometimes into the house
- Put down poison in the loft
- Catch a squirrel and release it elsewhere
It's worth knowing the law here: as an invasive non-native species, a grey squirrel cannot legally be released back into the wild once trapped, whether that's near Chessington, where the borough's southernmost suburb, or elsewhere in the borough.
Booking squirrel control in Kingston upon Thames
Our squirrel trapping service in Kingston upon Thames is £280, and since around Surbiton, where handsome Victorian and Edwardian villas, it helps to say when you book squirrel control whether the sounds are by day or night and whether trees overhang the roof, with more on the Kingston upon Thames squirrel control page.
