Squirrel Control and Trapping Cost in Pinner

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The Legal Position

• Grey squirrels are listed as an invasive non-native species
• It is an offence to release a trapped grey squirrel or to allow it to escape
• So live-catch trapping is still lethal control — the animal is dispatched humanely
• Anyone offering to catch and relocate is describing an offence
• Traps must be checked regularly; leaving an animal in a trap is not acceptable
• Red squirrels are fully protected and are not present in Greater London
• We would rather you knew this before booking than after

What £280 Covers

• Full loft and roof inspection
• Identification — squirrel, rat, mouse or bird, which are handled quite differently
• Trap placement inside the roof void
• Return visits to check and clear traps over the programme
• Removal of what is caught
• A proofing survey identifying every entry point
• A written account of what needs closing and in what order

What Is Not Included

• The proofing works themselves, quoted separately once the survey identifies the points
• Roof repairs — displaced tiles, failed soffits, rotten fascia
• Insulation replacement where it has been fouled or shredded
• Electrical repairs, if cabling has been gnawed
• Tree work, where overhanging branches give access

On a listed building or in the Pinner conservation area, external proofing may need consent, and the material and finish matter. We will say where that applies rather than fixing mesh to something we should not.

Why Damage Matters More Here

The cost of a squirrel in a period roof is rarely the squirrel.

• They gnaw cabling, which is a fire risk in any house and worse in one with older wiring runs
• Original roof timbers are gnawed and fouled
• Water tanks and pipework in the loft get gnawed and leak
• Ceiling laths and plaster are damaged from above
• Insulation is shredded for nesting and fouled
• Handmade tiles and lead flashing are expensive to make good
• They will enlarge a small gap in a soffit or a rotten fascia into a permanent door

How Long It Takes

• Usually one to three weeks
• A single animal may be caught in days
• A female with a drey takes longer, and the young must be accounted for
• Proofing before trapping is complete risks sealing an animal in
• Which then dies in the void and becomes a much worse problem
• So the order is always trap first, proof second

Read nextSquirrels in the Loft in Pinner – What Should You Do? →

Timing and Breeding

• Two breeding periods a year, roughly late winter and mid-summer
• A drey in the loft with young changes the approach
• Young left behind after the adult is removed is the outcome we work to avoid
• Which is why the inspection matters before anything is set
• Autumn brings more roof entry as they look for winter shelter
• Tell us what you hear and when — it helps considerably

Related Questions

Can you use poison?

Squirrel poisoning is tightly restricted and is not appropriate in a domestic loft. Trapping is the correct method.

Will one visit do it?

No. Traps must be set, checked and cleared over days.

Should I block the hole myself?

Not until trapping is complete. Sealing an animal in creates a worse problem than the one you started with.