Roofers in Northumberland

Roofing in Northumberland

Northumberland asks more of a roof than almost anywhere else in England. The coast from Blyth up through Amble, Alnmouth and Berwick-upon-Tweed takes the full force of North Sea gales carrying salt inland, and salt is quietly corrosive: it eats galvanised nails, clips and gutter brackets long before it touches the slate itself. Inland, the Cheviots and the Hadrian's Wall corridor bring hard frost and repeated freeze-thaw, which opens laminations in slate and blows the face off soft sandstone copings and chimney heads. Between the two, this is a county where the fixings fail before the covering does.

The building stock reflects a mining and estate history. The former pit settlements of Ashington, Bedlington and Newbiggin are rows of colliery terraces, many stripped of their original slate and re-covered in concrete tile during the 1980s. Estate villages around Alnwick, Rothbury and the Tyne valley are stone-built with slate and stone flag, frequently listed and frequently within the Northumberland National Park or an AONB, where consent is required for material changes. Berwick, walled and heavily conservation-designated, is stricter still.

Two things worth insisting on locally. Use non-ferrous or stainless fixings anywhere within a few miles of the coast, and specify mechanically fixed ridges and verges rather than mortar, because mortar bedding on an exposed Northumberland gable has a short and unhappy life. Also, be wary of doorstep callers immediately after a named storm; genuine local firms are usually booked out rather than driving round looking for work. The 91 roofers listed here average 4.8 stars, with 21 offering emergency call-out.