Fire chiefs issue stark warning to West Country thatched property owners

WITH the winter months approaching, fire fighters in North Devon are urging householders to ensure their chimney is safe.

Last year in North Devon and Exeter there were 238 fires, and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Services had attended 75 in the area so far this year, including a chimney fire in Holsworthy yesterday (Thursday) evening.

Lee Shepherd, who has been a fire fighter at Barnstaple since 2002, is a registered chimney sweep and is urging people to keep their houses safe.

He said: “I’ve been sweeping over North Devon since 2007 and to date I have issued over 700 chimney certificates, given a lot of advice and learnt a lot along the way from many experienced builders and roofers.

“One of my elderly customers had been suffering from severe headaches for more than five years, and was prescribed various medications for this from her GP.

“Her routine would be to sit in front the gas fire every night and she would go off to bed very sleepy around 9pm.

“What they didn’t know was that she was suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, as the gas fire’s chimney had a large nest restricting the vent of fumes and gases escaping.”

Alan Kyle, watch manager at Bideford Fire Station, said: “With the colder, winter months looming, people will begin to start using open fires and their chimneys again.

“In order to keep you and your family safe from fire, you need to take necessary steps such as ensuring your chimney is swept regularly, depending upon what fuel you burn, and I would urge all householders to have a working smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm in their home.”

The fire service is also writing to all thatch property owners across Bideford, Barnstaple and Exeter to offer advice on keeping their homes safe.

“Although thatch fires are not common, over 90 per cent of thatched roof fires start as a result of a faulty flue or chimney,” added watch commander Kyle.

“The thatch is designed to repel water which makes extinguishing such fires difficult.”

See the full story in the North Devon Gazette here.

Banbury Pub gets its thatch back

From the Banbury Observer:

THE return of three birds to the roof of Banbury’s Three Pigeons pub has marked the end of a £30,000 project to restore the town’s only thatched property.

Following the Great Fire of Banbury in 1628, one third of buildings in the town centre were destroyed and the use of thatch was banned to prevent future disasters.

The Three Pigeons, in Southam Road, was the only thatched building to survive the blaze and has since remained the only building in the town to have a straw roof.

Last Friday a six-week project to restore the roof came to an end and saw three new pigeons placed at the top of the pub, which had been missing one of its three birds for several years.

Owner Paul Laird who bought the pub with his wife Tina last year, said: “We knew the thatch needed some attention as part of the renovation works we are undertaking. It was last re-thatched 15 years ago and during an inspection some underlying issues were found which meant we needed to get the whole roof done.

“It’s the last thatched building in Banbury and we have replaced it like-for-like with the same design. The only things that have changed are the three pigeons, which are slightly different, but we thought it would be a good opportunity to get up there and return them all to the roof.

“I’m over the moon with the outcome, it looks absolutely stunning and I have had a lot of positive comments from people about how great it looks – I’m really chuffed.”

The work was undertaken by Stuart Viggers of Stuart Viggers Master Thatchers, with help from employee Samuel Turner and apprentice Stevie Jones.

Mr Viggers said: “There were three of us on site and we completed the roof with combed wheatstraw. I’m over the moon with the final result – it ranks as one of our best ever jobs.”

The £30,000 thatch restoration is part of a £550,000 renovation project being undertaken by Mr Laird to transform the building, interior and garden into a traditional English, family-friendly pub ahead of its planned opening in September.

A Safe and Happy Bonfire Night across the UK

Unless anybody can tell me differently, it appears that Bonfire Night (or Bonfire Weekend) passed without a thatch fire!  Despite the stray fireworks and sparks scattered across the sky, we seem to have been lucky this year.

Heavy rain across the country was clearly a help - not to mention care, vigilance and forethought on the part of thatch owners and bonfire aficionados!

Again, I refer to my post of last week - we managed to save a new thatched property cleint nearly 40% of their insurance premium.  Now is a good time to change insurer especially as some of the long-standing insurers in the market a clearly losing their appetite.  Call us - 01454 615 417.  Or email john@exportandgeneral.co.uk.

Dr John C Mitchell

Thatched house set ablaze by firework in Norfolk village

We are in the midst of one of the most dangerous times of the year for the thatched property owner - Bonfire Night and its associated fireworks.  

Already one fire this week has been attributed to a firework - a property on The Green in a small village, near Salhouse, which Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service were called to at around 6.40pm on Tuesday November 1st.  There were no injuries.

Stay vigilant!

Dr John C Mitchell