Guano clearance across Peterborough
Peterborough’s big distribution sheds, industrial estates and older city-centre buildings all give pigeons somewhere to roost. Inside a warehouse they settle on roof steelwork and racking, and outside they use canopies, ledges and gutters. The droppings build up out of sight until they foul stock, block an outlet or make a walkway slippery.
Locus Services clears pigeon guano across Peterborough and the surrounding towns and villages. We’re based in Wicken, near Ely, so the city is well within our regular area. We remove the droppings and nesting material safely, clean and disinfect the area, take the waste away with full paperwork and can fit bird proofing afterwards.
Guano clearance and bird proofing: our work
Distribution centres and industrial estates
Peterborough sits on the A1(M), the A47 and the East Coast Main Line, and logistics is a big part of its economy. The industrial areas east of the city centre are still growing: the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority describes the Red Brick Farm site at Fengate as likely to become “a vibrant and busy mix of storage, distribution, and general industrial units”. Large, open buildings like these give pigeons plenty of places to roost.
| Where | What we usually find | How we deal with it |
|---|---|---|
| High-bay warehouses | Droppings on roof steelwork, lighting and the top of racking | Cleared from MEWPs one aisle or zone at a time, so the rest of the building keeps working. See warehouse and factory cleaning |
| Loading docks and canopies | Fouling on canopies, dock shelters and the yard below | Worked at night or at weekends, so the docks reopen on time |
| Food and chilled stores | Birds getting in through open doors and roosting over product | Cleared and disinfected, then proofed to keep the birds out. See cold store cleaning |
| Factory roofs and gutters | Nests and droppings blocking box gutters and outlets | Cleared at the same visit. See gutter cleaning |
| Plant rooms and roof voids | Thick layers of guano around motors, tanks and pipework | Removed under dust suppression, then the area is washed and disinfected |
The city centre and older buildings
Peterborough Cathedral is listed at Grade I, and the streets around it have many other older buildings. English Heritage’s fact sheet on feral pigeons says pigeon droppings are corrosive to stone and to metals, so leaving them on ledges and parapets does lasting damage. We clean older stonework by hand, with methods chosen to protect the surface.
If you want bird proofing fitted to a listed building, check with the council first. Under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, works that would affect a listed building’s character need listed building consent.
Who to call about pigeons in Peterborough
Peterborough City Council does not run its own pest control service, so pigeon problems on business premises, and the clean-up afterwards, are down to the owner or occupier. That’s where we come in. We clear the guano, deal with the cause and leave you with the paperwork to show the job was done properly.
The risks of leaving guano in place
English Heritage’s fact sheet sets out why droppings need dealing with:
- Health: diseases such as psittacosis can develop where droppings and nests build up, and the dust can be breathed in when it’s disturbed.
- Food safety: pigeons can carry bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli and Campylobacter. Food businesses must have adequate procedures to control pests.
- Slips: wet droppings are slippery on walkways, fire escapes and loading bays.
- Insects: nests can bring in fleas, bird mites and other pests.
Our crews wear full PPE, including respirators, use dust suppression and keep each area closed off until it has been cleaned and disinfected.
Active nests
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes it an offence to take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it’s in use or being built. Feral pigeons can nest at any time of year, so we check for active nests at the survey and plan the clearance around them.
How we clear guano
- Free site survey: we look at the affected areas, check for nests, work out safe access and agree timings around your shifts and deliveries.
- Quote and RAMS: you get a written quote, risk assessments and method statements before any work starts.
- Removal: droppings, nesting material and contaminated insulation are bagged up under dust suppression.
- Cleaning: surfaces are washed down and disinfected, and any lingering smell is treated.
- Paperwork: the waste goes away with a registered waste carrier, and you get the waste transfer notes.
Stopping the birds coming back
English Heritage calls prevention the only long-term solution that has proved effective. In a warehouse that usually means proofing the roof steelwork and ledges the birds use, closing gaps at the eaves and keeping roller doors shut when they’re not in use. Clearing up food waste around the yard and break areas helps too.
We can fit bird proofing such as netting, spikes or wire once the clean is finished. Read more about our pigeon guano removal service, or see our commercial cleaning in Peterborough.
Accreditations
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).