Guano clearance across Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes is one of the country’s big distribution centres, and its warehouses are just the kind of building pigeons like. High roofs, open loading doors and sheltered steelwork give them somewhere to roost, and the droppings build up quietly on racking tops, beams, lighting and canopies until someone spots them on the stock or the floor.
Locus Services clears pigeon guano across Milton Keynes and the surrounding area, from the logistics parks along the M1 to offices, car parks, schools and homes. We remove the droppings and nesting material safely, clean and disinfect the area, and take the waste away with full paperwork.
Pigeon guano removal: before and after
Warehouses, logistics parks and industrial estates
In Milton Keynes, that means employment areas such as Magna Park, Kingston, Kiln Farm, Tongwell, Brinklow and Denbigh in Bletchley, and on the sites close to junctions 13 and 14 of the M1.
| Where | What we usually find | How we deal with it |
|---|---|---|
| Racking and high-bay storage | Droppings on racking tops, pallets and stock | Clear from MEWPs one aisle at a time, with the area below closed off. See warehouse and factory cleaning |
| Loading bays and canopies | Fouling on dock levellers, canopies and the yard below | Work out of hours, so the bays reopen on time |
| Roof steelwork and lighting | Thick build-ups on beams, purlins and light fittings | Planned as part of a high level clean |
| Gutters and roof lights | Nests and droppings blocking outlets and dulling the glass | Cleared at the same visit. See gutter cleaning and skylight cleaning |
| Plant rooms and roof voids | Guano on motors, pipework, insulation and floors | Removed first, then the area is cleaned and disinfected |
Where food is stored or handled, there’s a legal angle too. Food hygiene law requires food businesses to have adequate procedures to control pests, and English Heritage notes that pigeons can carry food poisoning bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli and Campylobacter. A guano build-up in a food warehouse is a hygiene risk as well as a cleaning job.
Why guano needs a specialist
English Heritage’s fact sheet on feral pigeons sets out the main risks:
- Health: where droppings and nests build up, diseases such as psittacosis can develop, and the dust can be breathed in when it’s disturbed.
- Damage: the droppings are corrosive to stone and to metals including aluminium, iron, zinc and lead, which matters on metal roofs, gutters and cladding.
- Slips: droppings are slippery when wet, a real problem on walkways, stairs and loading docks.
- Insects: nests can host pests, including stored food pests, fleas and bird mites.
That’s why our crews work in full PPE, including respirators, use dust suppression and keep the area closed off until it has been cleaned and disinfected. For more on the risks, read what is pigeon guano, and is it dangerous?
Check for nests first
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it’s an offence to take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it’s in use or being built. Feral pigeons can breed at any time of year, so we check for active nests during the survey and plan the clearance around what we find.
How a guano clearance works
- Free site survey: we look at the affected areas, check for nests, plan safe access and agree timings around your deliveries and shifts.
- Written quote and RAMS: you get a fixed quote, risk assessments and method statements before any work starts.
- Safe removal: droppings, nesting material and contaminated insulation are bagged up under dust suppression.
- Clean and disinfect: surfaces are washed down and disinfected, and any remaining smell is treated.
- Waste paperwork: the guano goes away with a registered waste carrier, and you get the waste transfer notes for your records.
If you’re planning the work yourself, our pigeon guano risk assessment guide covers the hazards, and how to choose a guano clearance contractor lists what to ask.
Keeping pigeons out
English Heritage calls prevention the only long-term solution that has proved effective. In a warehouse, that usually means closing off the ledges and steelwork the birds use, and making sure they can’t get into roof spaces. Staff can help by not feeding birds around canteens and outdoor break areas.
After the clean, we can fit bird proofing such as netting, spikes or wire, chosen for the building and the birds using it. Read more about our pigeon guano removal service, or see our commercial cleaning in Milton Keynes.
Accredited and properly documented
Locus is SafeContractor-accredited, Constructionline Silver and a BICSc corporate member, and our operatives hold IPAF and CSCS cards. We’re registered with the Environment Agency as a waste carrier (CBDU320327).