Birds nest removal is something we have to do in the autumn as legally we can not remove Jackdaw nests from chimneys between 1^st March and 1^st September. This is because nesting birds are protected by the law (Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981) and it is an offence to disturb a nest and destroy any birds. So, we as sweeps are restricted to that time of year when the birds are not nesting and raising their young. Unfortunately for us this just so happens to coincide with our busiest time of year. As we work 6 days a week in the autumn, nest removal usually means working on a Sunday to get the chimney cleared. They are usually very dirty and time-consuming jobs to do, lots of dust sheeting is usually required prior to working on removing the nest.

This nest removal job was in an upstairs bedroom, which obviously creates the additional issue of carrying all the equipment up the stairs. And in this instance covering a large amount quantity of very light carpet, bedding and furnishings. I removed the nest by initially hooking out the bottom section of the nest using a rod and a ‘pig’s tail’ attachment. This was just to give myself room to work in the chimney. I then used rotary power sweeping equipment with steel cord flails to break up the nest. Finally, I brush swept the chimney with an inglenook brush to clean out all the dust and soot. I used my large CCTV camera to check that the chimney was completely clear of nest, and I conducted a type two smoke test to check the draw – Job done! It transpired that there was seven meters of nest in the chimney which equated to nine large garden trugs of nest material.