By the Sleak Property Services team ·
Fleetwood has water on three sides, and its houses feel it. Salt air strips paintwork, rusts metal fittings and pits old window frames. Wind drives rain sideways into walls. And the town's gulls nest on the roofs every summer and fill the gutters with sticks, moss and worse.
Short answer: a Fleetwood house needs its gutters cleared at least once a year (twice under a gull roost), its outside paintwork touched up every few years rather than every five to ten, and a walk round after every big storm. Here's why, and what to look for.
Gulls and gutters
Herring gulls and lesser black-backed gulls nest on flat roofs, chimney stacks and in valley gutters across Fleetwood, especially on the taller Victorian terraces in the centre. Nesting material ends up in the gutters and outlets, and a blocked outlet sends rainwater over the edge and down the wall.
Gulls and their active nests are protected by law, so nests can't be removed once they're in use. The time to clear roofs and gutters, and to fit spikes, wires or netting if you want to stop gulls returning, is outside the nesting season. In practice that means autumn and winter, before they start building again in spring.
What salt air does
- Paintwork on doors, sills and fascias flakes and chalks faster than it would inland
- Steel gates, railings, hinges and gutter brackets rust, sometimes right through
- Window and door sealant hardens and cracks, letting water in around the frames
- Render and brickwork go green and black on the shaded and windward sides
None of this is a disaster on its own. The cost comes when it's left: a rusted bracket lets a gutter sag, the joint opens, and the wall below is wet all winter.
The yearly jobs worth doing
- Clear the gutters and flush the downpipes in late autumn, plus a spring clear if gulls nest on or near the roof
- Check gutter brackets and joints for rust, leaks and sagging while you're up there
- Rub down and repaint any bare or flaking timber before winter
- Renew cracked sealant around windows and doors on the side facing the sea
- Wire brush and treat rust on gates and railings before it spreads
- Wash down render or brick that has gone green, ideally with a soft wash rather than a jet wash
After a storm
Fleetwood takes the full force of westerly gales. After a big one, walk round the outside of the house and look for slipped slates or ridge tiles, gutters pulled away from the fascia, fence panels loose or down, and anything that has blown against the house. Small storm damage is cheap to fix straight away and expensive to fix after a winter of rain getting in.
Landlords with Fleetwood terraces
A lot of central Fleetwood is rented, and tenants don't always notice an overflowing gutter or report a damp patch until it's a mould problem. A planned maintenance visit once or twice a year, with dated photos of what was checked and fixed, catches these early and gives you a record if the condition of the property is ever questioned.
Common questions
When can gull nests be removed from a roof?
Only when they're not in use. Active nests are protected, so clearing roofs and gutters and fitting gull deterrents is best done in autumn and winter, after the young have left and before nesting starts again in spring.
How often should gutters be cleared in Fleetwood?
At least once a year in late autumn. If gulls nest on or near the roof, or trees overhang it, clear them in spring as well.
Why does paint peel so quickly near the sea?
Salt in the air draws moisture into the surface and breaks down paint and sealant faster. Keeping timber well painted, and touching up chips before water gets behind them, makes the paint last much longer.