Worcester is a river city. The Severn runs straight through it, past the cathedral and down to Diglis where the Worcester & Birmingham Canal joins the river, and the whole low-lying core sits in the river's flood basin. That's the geography that makes the city flood — the Barbourne gauge just north of the centre peaked at around 5.67 metres in the February 2014 floods, and 2007 was among the worst the city has seen — and it's the same geography that wrecks roofs. Even in a dry summer, that flat, wet ground keeps the air sitting heavy with moisture, and moisture is exactly what moss, lichen and gloeocapsa algae feed on. A roof here will carry noticeably more growth than an identical house a few miles up onto the drier ground towards the Cotswold edge.
The western suburbs get a double dose. St Johns, Dines Green, Henwick and the streets running up towards Lower Wick sit on the damp, west-facing side of the city, catching the weather that rolls in off the Malvern Hills before it reaches the rest of Worcestershire. More rain and longer-lingering humidity on that side means roofs in St Johns mat up faster than you'd expect for terraces of the same age across the river. By the time someone calls us, a north-facing Victorian slate roof off the Bromyard Road is usually carrying a thick green-black film of algae with moss building in the laps and the valleys.
You see the worst of it in the older streets near the river. The Victorian and Edwardian terraces in Barbourne and St Johns, the Georgian frontages around Britannia Square and the historic city, and the tall narrow houses in the cathedral quarter shade each other for much of the day, the streets are tight, and the original Welsh slate and clay tile holds damp far longer than modern materials. Down at Diglis, where riverside flats and new apartment blocks sit almost on the water, the constant humidity off the basin keeps even fairly young roofs greening.
Out on the estates it's a different roof but the same problem. Warndon and Warndon Villages, Ronkswood, Tolladine, Brickfields and the newer developments are mostly post-war and modern concrete interlocking tile. Those tiles are textured, which gives spores something to grip, so in this humid basin they mat up heavily — we lift the bulk off by hand from a tower or roof ladder before the biocide goes on. Whether it's an 1890s slate terrace in St Johns or a 1990s semi out at Warndon Villages, the cause is the same Severn-Vale damp, and so is the fix.
One thing specific to Worcester is the heavy split between two very different housing stocks sitting close together. A single street near the centre can run from a converted Victorian villa carved into flats — older shared roofs and gutters that nobody quite owns — to a 1930s semi to a brand-new infill house, each with a different covering. That's why we won't quote a flat rate over the phone: the right method for a brittle 130-year-old slate roof in Barbourne is completely wrong for a concrete-tile semi at Brickfields, and getting that wrong costs you tiles.
Each one has its own approach. Method matters more than equipment.
The default covering across St Johns, Barbourne, Rainbow Hill and the older streets near the centre. Durable but unforgiving — on the damp, shaded north pitches it carries a heavy algae film and moss in the laps. Slate gets hand-clearing of the laps, a low-pressure rinse and a neutral biocide, worked off a roof ladder. Never pressure-blasted.
Found on the older cottages, Georgian frontages and listed properties around the cathedral quarter, Sidbury, the Tything and Britannia Square. Often a century or more old and brittle when wet — these are scraped by hand, never pressured, with extra care around the bedded ridges, hips and valleys where the tile is oldest and the leadwork most fragile.
The bulk of Warndon, Ronkswood, Tolladine and Brickfields. Marley and Redland tiles, usually heavily mossed because the textured surface grips spores and the river basin keeps everything damp. We remove the moss by hand first, then biocide. Expect a noticeable colour shift as the treatment cures over a few weeks.
Warndon Villages, the newer Perdiswell and Diglis riverside developments — 1990s onward, smoother concrete and the odd plain or pantile roof, plus the apartment blocks down on the water. Younger but still greening in this microclimate. These take the bulk-off-then-biocide treatment, and on the right surfaces a sealant to slow regrowth further.
From the historic city and the period terraces near the river to the big estates ringing the edge — same Severn-basin damp, slightly different roof on each.
The big residential district west of the river, on the damp side of the city catching the weather off the Malverns. Rows of Victorian and Edwardian slate terraces, many converted into flats — older shared roofs that green up fast and get hand-scrape and biocide only.
North of the centre by the Severn, with the Barbourne flood gauge that the city watches every winter. Solid Victorian and Edwardian terraces, plenty carved into flats, on slate and clay that holds damp in the shaded streets running down towards the river.
A leafy, sought-after suburb south-east of the centre — larger detached and semi-detached homes, some in the Battenhall Villas conservation area, on a mix of slate, clay and later tile. Mature trees overhead mean shaded, slow-drying pitches that mat up.
The regenerated riverside quarter where the canal meets the Severn, full of modern apartment blocks and townhouses almost on the water. Younger roofs, but the constant humidity off the basin and the river keeps even recent tile and flat-roof coverings greening.
The large estates out east between the city and the M5 — Warndon's post-war housing and the big modern Warndon Villages development. Almost all concrete interlocking tile, textured and quick to mat up, taking the standard bulk-removal-then-biocide treatment.
The post-war estates ringing the city — Ronkswood and Tolladine to the east, Dines Green out west on the damp Malvern side. Uniform concrete-tile housing where whole streets reach moss age together, which is usually how we end up doing several roofs on one road.
Worcester is a heritage-heavy city. It has well over a thousand listed buildings and more than a dozen conservation areas, threaded right through the places people actually live — the Historic City around the cathedral, St Johns across the river, Lansdowne Crescent and Rainbow Hill, Britannia Square, St George's Square, Sidbury and Fort Royal, Battenhall Villas and the Worcester & Birmingham Canal corridor among them. A lot of those roofs are original Welsh slate, hand-made clay or stone sitting on Georgian and Victorian structures, and they need a completely different hand to a 1980s semi out at Warndon. On these we hand-scrape only, never pressure, because force cracks old slate and tile and drives water into a structure that has stood for a century or more by staying watertight.
For listed buildings, cleaning sits in a careful zone. Straightforward removal of biological growth normally doesn't need listed-building consent, because you're not altering the fabric of the building. Anything that touches mortar, lead or the original tile or slate fixing usually does — and we'll tell you upfront if a job crosses that line so you can speak to Worcester City Council's conservation team before booking. We keep biocide off lime mortar by sheeting and rinsing the edges, and where old lead flashings have weathered to a soft grey patina we'll usually recommend leaving them rather than scrubbing them back to bright metal, which is exactly the kind of thing heritage officers, reasonably, don't want to see.
It's worth remembering why Worcester looks the way it does. The city grew up around its great cathedral on the bank of the Severn, with the river trade and, later, the glove-making, porcelain and Lea & Perrins works filling the streets with merchants' and workers' housing. The Georgian set-pieces — Britannia Square, Lansdowne Crescent — went up as the city expanded north and east in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the long Victorian terraces of St Johns and Barbourne followed as the suburbs spread. The result is a city where buildings of very different ages and very different roof coverings stand close together, and a single terrace can carry slate, clay and later replacement tile in the same run. None of that is a problem to clean — but it's exactly why we survey each property properly rather than quoting a roof we haven't seen.
At quote stage we check whether your property looks listed and glance at the Historic England map and the city's conservation-area boundaries before the survey. It costs us five minutes and can save you a planning headache.
We come out, look at the roof, the access, and the gutters, and tell you exactly what's needed and what it costs. No hard sell, no pressure to book on the spot — and on the period properties in St Johns, Barbourne and the historic city we flag anything that touches listed-building rules first.
Heavy moss is removed by hand from a ladder or tower, gutters cleared at the same time. On Worcester's damp, thickly mossed concrete tile out at Warndon and on fragile old slate in St Johns alike, the bulk growth has to be lifted off before the biocide can reach the spores beneath.
An approved biocide is applied at the correct dilution. It kills algae, lichen and remaining moss spores at the root, without high-pressure water touching the tiles — which matters even more in this high-humidity river basin where regrowth comes back fast.
The biocide keeps working after we've left, preventing regrowth for up to two years. Most customers don't need us back for a top-up before then.
A Worcester roof clean keeps us on the ladders or tower most of the day regardless, so it makes sense to pull the gutters through while we're up there — and the biocide is what holds the result for two years, which counts for a lot in a basin this damp. You pay for neither; both come as standard.
The free gutter clear is more than a nicety here. In a city that already deals with too much water — the Severn out of its banks most winters, the canal and the riverside streets at Diglis sitting low — a gutter packed with washed-down moss and grit is the difference between rain running cleanly away and rain spilling down the wall, soaking into render and finding its way to the eaves. We clear what comes off the roof as we go, so you're not left with a clean roof and blocked gutters. And because the biocide carries on working long after we've packed up, most Worcester customers get two seasons or more before they'd even think about booking us back — in a microclimate this damp, that's the part that earns its keep.
Get my Worcester quoteWorcester throws up everything from brittle Welsh slate on listed terraces in St Johns and Barbourne to big modern estate roofs out at Warndon Villages, and the fragile ones take careful hand-scraping rather than fast pressure — which is part of why we won't quote a flat rate over the phone. Every roof's different. But to be straight with you, most roof cleans are £550–£950. A standard terrace or semi sits in that range; larger, steeper or more difficult roofs (heavy moss, awkward access, big detached houses in Battenhall) go up from there.
What moves the price:
Always included, never an add-on: a free gutter clear while we're up there, and the biocide that keeps moss off for up to two years.
How we quote: a free no-obligation survey, a written price the same day, no deposit, pay only when it's done. See our full roof cleaning cost guide →
No. The old Welsh slate and clay tile you find on the Victorian and Edwardian terraces in St Johns, Barbourne and the historic city get hand-scrape and biocide only — pressure on those will damage the surface. The modern concrete interlocking tile out on Warndon Villages, Ronkswood and the newer estates can take a controlled pressure-wash where that's the right tool. Either way, it's the biocide that stops the moss coming back, not the force of the water.
Up to two years, often longer, because the biocide we apply carries on killing fresh spores after we've left. Worcester is a damp city — it sits in the River Severn's flood basin, and the wet ground and high humidity keep roofs greening faster than higher, drier ground out towards the Cotswold edge. North-facing pitches in the shaded older streets, and anything down near the river at Diglis, may colour up sooner than open south-facing roofs. Pressure-washing on its own buys you about a season — the moss is back the next autumn because the spores are still in the tile. The biocide is the difference between cleaning the surface and treating the cause.
Yes, when applied properly. We use approved biocides at manufacturer-specified dilutions, applied in dry conditions so the active ingredient bonds to the tile rather than running off. Pets are kept indoors during application and for an hour after; planted borders are sheeted and watered down before and after. In a riverside city with a lot of gardens running down towards the Severn and the canal we're careful about run-off, and we've never had an issue with ponds or wildlife in years of doing this.
Yes, and this is exactly the work we take most care over. Worcester has well over a thousand listed buildings and more than a dozen conservation areas — the historic city, St Johns, Lansdowne Crescent and Rainbow Hill, Britannia Square, St George's Square, Sidbury and Fort Royal and others — so a lot of roofs are old clay, Welsh slate or stone on fragile period structures. On those we hand-scrape only — never pressure — and we keep biocide off lime mortar and old leadwork by sheeting and rinsing the edges. Straightforward removal of moss and algae usually doesn't need listed-building consent because you're not altering the fabric; anything touching mortar, lead or the original fixings does, and we'll flag it before we start so you can speak to Worcester City Council's conservation team first.
It does. Worcester sits in the River Severn's flood basin, and the river runs right through the city past the cathedral and Diglis. It floods regularly — the Barbourne gauge peaked at around 5.67m in the February 2014 floods, and the 2007 floods were among the worst on record — and even in a dry year that low, wet ground keeps humidity high. High humidity is what moss, lichen and algae live on, so Worcester roofs tend to carry heavier growth than houses a few miles up onto drier ground. The damp west-facing slopes towards the Malverns add to the rainfall on the western suburbs like St Johns and Dines Green. It doesn't change how we clean, but it does mean the free biocide treatment earns its keep here.
For most jobs, no. We work from a ladder or scaffold tower with a long-reach lance, which means no concentrated weight on the tiles and no boot scuffs on the ridges. On steeper or older roofs — including the tall Victorian terraces in St Johns and Barbourne and the brittle clay common in the older streets — we use a roof ladder hooked over the ridge to spread the load safely. We'll tell you in advance which method we're using on your property and why.
Three reasons that matter, in order. Tile and slate life — moss holds moisture against the surface, accelerating freeze-thaw damage and shortening the life of the roof, which on Welsh slate or hand-made clay in the conservation areas is a serious replacement cost. Gutters and downpipes — moss sheds and washes into the gutters, blocking them and pushing water down the wall instead of away from the house, which matters even more in a city that already deals with too much water. Insurance and resale — some insurers query roofs visibly covered in growth, and a clean roof is a quiet but real factor in kerb appeal, especially for the period homes buyers pay a premium for in St Johns, Barbourne and Battenhall. Cleaning costs a fraction of replacing tiles or re-slating.
No roof stays clear forever — spores are always airborne, and in a damp river city like Worcester they're never far away — but treating the cause keeps it clear for years not months: we scrape or soft-wash the moss off, then apply a biocide that carries on killing spores for up to two years. Pressure-washing alone just removes what you can see — it's back next autumn. Biocide (plus, on the right surfaces, a sealant) is the longest-lasting answer.
Spring (March–May) and early autumn are ideal — dry enough for the biocide to bond, and it sets the roof up before the damp months when moss grows fastest, which in this riverside basin is most of the winter. We clean year-round, though; the biocide works whenever it's applied in dry conditions.
Depends on the tile. The modern concrete interlocking tile on the Warndon Villages and Ronkswood estates can take a controlled low-pressure wash where it's the right tool; the old clay, stone and Welsh slate on the historic-city and St Johns terraces should never be pressure-washed — it strips the surface, cracks tiles and forces water underneath. On those we hand-scrape and treat with biocide. We always tell you the method first.
Brine-spa town just north of Worcester — Victorian villas, canal-side streets and modern estates.
Roof cleaning Droitwich SpaVale of Evesham market town — riverside Avon damp, old town clay tile and outer estates.
Roof cleaning EveshamWhere the Severn meets the Avon — timber-framed listed homes and post-war estates, down the M5.
Roof cleaning TewkesburyThe Guys did a fantastic job on my roof and worked nonstop all day to get the job done and left everything clean and tidy after themselves, highly recommend and would look to use again 👍, made a massive difference to the house.
The Guys did a fantastic job on my roof and worked nonstop all day to get the job done and left everything clean and tidy after themselves, highly recommend and would look to use again 👍, made a massive difference to the house.
Would strongly recommend. Swift with good work quality and kept the surrounding areas tidy. Looks like a new roof! Would 100% recommend.
Would strongly recommend. Swift with good work quality and kept the surrounding areas tidy. Looks like a new roof! Would 100% recommend.
Blake and Daniel cleaned my patio and path at the front and did a great job. They were friendly and professional and explained well what they were going to do. I also had a bad dark patch which came up really well which others had failed to remove. I would definitely recommend them if like me you have a patio or driveway that badly needs a thorough clean
Blake and Daniel cleaned my patio and path at the front and did a great job. They were friendly and professional and explained well what they were going to do. I also had a bad dark patch which came up really well which others had failed to remove. I would definitely recommend them if like me you have a patio or driveway that badly needs a thorough clean
100% recommend this team . From start to finish was kept informed.On the morning a text to say what time they will be there and arrived on time . Worked from 9:30 till 7:30pm on the roof and jet washing all the area after. Very professional and had all the kit even a drone to show you the results of the whole area . The difference is amazing and looks like a new roof . Really happy with the results and so many comments from neighbours too saying how good it looks . You will not be disappointed .
100% recommend this team . From start to finish was kept informed.On the morning a text to say what time they will be there and arrived on time . Worked from 9:30 till 7:30pm on the roof and jet washing all the area after. Very professional and had all the kit even a drone to show you the results of the whole area . The difference is amazing and looks like a new roof . Really happy with the results and so many comments from neighbours too saying how good it looks . You will not be disappointed .
Had our drive re sealed and repaired amazing job by Blake and Dan thanks very much for your hard work it looks amazing highly recommended company
Had our drive re sealed and repaired amazing job by Blake and Dan thanks very much for your hard work it looks amazing highly recommended company
What can I say other than WOW !! Massive thank you to Blake and Dan for all of your hard work, so professional and such an amazing job! Left everything spotless so pleased, highly recommend to everyone. Extremely happy
What can I say other than WOW !! Massive thank you to Blake and Dan for all of your hard work, so professional and such an amazing job! Left everything spotless so pleased, highly recommend to everyone. Extremely happy
Blake and team did a great job of cleaning and resealing our roof. They worked hard and communicated well by proactively keeping us updated at every stage. We are happy with the end result and the transformation was epic!
Blake and team did a great job of cleaning and resealing our roof. They worked hard and communicated well by proactively keeping us updated at every stage. We are happy with the end result and the transformation was epic!
We had excellent service from start to finish. The guys were very professional, discussed everything over the phone initially then a visit with the drone to allow accurate quarter and expectation management. On the day they were considerate with the neighbours, did a wonderful job with the roof and gutters and cleared up so well that everything looked far better than when they started. Cannot recommend more highly.
We had excellent service from start to finish. The guys were very professional, discussed everything over the phone initially then a visit with the drone to allow accurate quarter and expectation management. On the day they were considerate with the neighbours, did a wonderful job with the roof and gutters and cleared up so well that everything looked far better than when they started. Cannot recommend more highly.
Great guys. Amazing job on the drive and always answers the phone. Recommend 100%
Great guys. Amazing job on the drive and always answers the phone. Recommend 100%
Really impressed with Aquapro Roof cleaning. Very professional guys that done such a good job, that it looks like I’ve had a new roof installed, (after 40yrs of dirt and moss). Blake talked me through everything in detail, and answered any questions I had. Showed me the end result with his drone footage and left house clean and tidy. Highly recommended.
Really impressed with Aquapro Roof cleaning. Very professional guys that done such a good job, that it looks like I’ve had a new roof installed, (after 40yrs of dirt and moss). Blake talked me through everything in detail, and answered any questions I had. Showed me the end result with his drone footage and left house clean and tidy. Highly recommended.
Great service, lovely & friendly team. So happy with the patio.
Great service, lovely & friendly team. So happy with the patio.
Free gutter clean and biocide treatment with every roof clean. Listed and period properties handled correctly. Fully insured, no-obligation quote, written the same day.
