You ask,
we answer.

Two reasons, both serious. Safety: a blocked or sooted flue pushes smoke and carbon monoxide back into the room — CO is colourless and odourless. UK fire services also attend over 2,000 chimney fires in homes every year (gov.uk, year ending March 2025), almost all caused by creosote build-up an annual sweep would clear. Insurance: most UK home policies require you to maintain your property in good condition; the Financial Ombudsman has upheld chimney-fire claim refusals where the homeowner couldn’t produce a sweep certificate. An annual sweep prevents both problems.

Once a year, minimum. Wood-burners in heavy use may need quarterly sweeping during the burn season. Gas and oil go annually. Most insurers require a current certificate as a condition of cover. Best time to book the Summer Winter-Ready Sweep: May–August — 20% off, no autumn rush, and a clean flue all winter.

Summer. Three reasons: soot and tar come out before they harden over a damp summer; you skip the autumn rush; the Summer Winter-Ready Sweep runs at 20% off. Same NACS-certified service, 20% less, certificate good for 12 months. Booking in October when the fire won’t draw is the most expensive way to do it.

Our seasonal product, May to August. The standard NACS sweep with smoke evacuation test and certificate — 20% off, branded as the Winter-Ready Sweep because the point is having your chimney clean, checked and certified before the burn season starts. Open fires, wood-burners, multi-fuel, inset cassettes — all included. Applied automatically in the booking flow. CCTV qualifies when added. Doesn’t apply to emergency or same-day call-outs.

Better. A summer sweep removes last season’s soot before it hardens into the flue. Your certificate is valid for 12 months either way — so you’re covered all the way through winter. The “must sweep in autumn” idea is a myth. A clean, dry flue in May beats a sooty, damp one in October.

45 to 75 minutes, arrival to certificate. CCTV adds 20–30 minutes. Bird nest removal varies by what we find — usually 60–90 minutes.

No. Sealed HEPA vacuum, dust sheets across the hearth and surrounding floor. Modern rotary sweeping is far tidier than the old chain-and-brush method. Soot stays in the bag.

Yes. Gas flues still need to be clear of debris and nests. Swept to manufacturer schedule. The appliance itself needs a Gas Safe engineer — that’s not us.

Common for inherited or long-unused properties. We’d recommend a CCTV inspection first to check for nests, debris and structural issues — then quote sensibly from there.

Yes — NACS-certified and recognised by every major UK home insurer. Most UK home policies require you to keep your property in good condition; the sweep certificate is the standard evidence that condition was met. In one Financial Ombudsman ruling (case DRN5436394), an insurer refused a chimney-fire claim because the policyholder couldn’t produce a current certificate — the Ombudsman upheld the refusal. Yours is emailed the same day. Paper copy on request.

£85 all-in for a standard sweep — open fires and stoves, same price. CCTV from £45 as an add-on or £95 standalone. Bird nest removal £125 first hour. Full breakdown on the Prices page. We quote up front; no surprises.

Almost certainly. We sweep across Tyne & Wear, Durham, Northumberland and Tees Valley. Send your postcode by WhatsApp — confirmed in minutes.

Where we can, yes. Genuine emergencies — smoke in the room, suspected blockage, CO alarm — jump the queue. Same-day depends on the diary. WhatsApp is fastest.

Card, bank transfer or cash. Invoiced on the day with a 7-day window. Receipts and certificates emailed automatically.