How we chose
We started from the chimney sweeps Google Maps shows across Telford. Scheme memberships were sourced from the NACS and Guild member lists, each firm's own website and the HETAS site where stove work is claimed [2] [3]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and anything it must hold by law is in place. Two firms met all three; with no mandatory registration for sweeping, that last check passes with nothing to enforce. What customers say counts most toward the score, then qualifications, then whether the firm has traded two years or more and whether its cover is stated, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated early September 2026.
How to hire
Start by matching the worker to the job. A chimney sweep owns sweeping, smoke testing, CCTV flue checks, nest removal and the sweeping certificate — while fitting a stove or relining a flue belongs to a HETAS-registered installer who can certify the work, and any gas fire belongs to a Gas Safe registered engineer [4]. Alpine is the rare Telford firm covering both sides. When you first enquire, say which appliance you burn, which fuels you use and when the flue was last swept.
Sweep on time rather than waiting for trouble. The Solid Fuel Association recommends sweeping at least once a year, preferably before the heating season, and more often for heavy wood or coal use [4]. NACS guidance goes further for wood, suggesting a sweep each quarter while the stove is in use, with smokeless fuel, oil and gas flues swept yearly [5]. Book late summer and any repair the sweep finds can be done before you light the first fire.
Check the scheme before you book. Type the business name into the NACS find-a-sweep search and widen the area to at least ten miles, or look through the Guild and APICS member lists the Solid Fuel Association points to for finding a sweep [2] [4]. NACS members must hold valid sweeping insurance and pass assessment before joining [5]. A logo on a van proves nothing on its own, so ask for the membership details and check the name that comes back matches the firm you are hiring.
Get two written quotes on the same scope so you compare like with like — which flues, whether a CCTV look and a certificate are included, how the room will be sheeted and vacuumed, and whether VAT sits on top [7]. How you reach the stack matters in Telford terraces and tall semis: awkward roof access, a blocked cowl or a nest all add time. Treat an outlier far above or below the rest as a question rather than a bargain, and ask what is included or excluded.
Sort the alarm while the sweep is booked. Landlords must fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any rented room with a fixed combustion appliance, apart from gas cookers, plus a smoke alarm on every storey, and fix or replace faulty ones when told [6]. Owner-occupiers face no such duty, but a stove without a working CO alarm is a risk not worth running. Test the alarm on the day of the sweep and change it when it expires.
Finish with the paperwork. Every sweep should leave a sweeping certificate recording the work and any findings — your insurer may ask for it after a claim and a buyer's solicitor may want the latest one at sale [1] [2]. Keep it with the quote and invoice, plus any CCTV report and the HETAS compliance certificate where a stove or liner was fitted. If the sweep flags a cracked liner or a failed draw, book the remedial work before you burn again.
Pricing
As of autumn 2026, HETAS puts a standard sweep at £60 to £85, with the national average near £72 and the West Midlands averaging £69 — Telford usually sits below London and South East prices [1]. That covers one lined stove flue in good condition: brushing the full flue, sheeting and vacuuming the room, a visual check of the flue and terminals, and a sweeping certificate [1].
Extras stack on top of the standard fee. A CCTV camera look up the flue adds £50 to £100, heavy soot or tar needing power sweeping adds £50 to £100, an open fire or inglenook adds £35 to £50, and clearing a bird's nest adds £100 to £200 — and an active nest cannot legally be removed, so the sweep must first check it is disused [1].
Condition and access move the price most: a flue left unswept for years, wet wood burned, a tall stack or awkward roof access all add time [1]. A second flue swept on the same visit usually costs less than the first. Ask whether the figure includes VAT and whether a call-out fee applies, since neither firm in this round publishes example rates.
Get the scope in writing before work starts — exactly which flues, whether the certificate and any CCTV report are included, what happens if the sweep finds a nest or a cracked liner, and what changes the price. Agree when payment falls due and keep every quote, invoice and certificate together [7].
Red flags
Starts sweeping with no dust sheets down and no seal around the fireplace opening.
Finishes the job with no sweeping certificate and no mention of one [1] [2].
Quotes for a stove fitting or a liner without visiting or looking up the flue [4].
Cannot name a trade body or give membership details you can check on the NACS or Guild lists [2] [3].
Offers to clear a bird's nest without checking whether it is still active [1].
Asks for full payment in cash before starting, with no written quote or terms [7].
Says a room with a stove or open fire needs no carbon monoxide alarm [6].
The bottom line
For most Telford homes with a stove or fire, start with Alpine: fitting, sweeping and lining from the same firm, a compliance certificate on installations and a review record you can read. Its site publishes no prices, so ask for an itemised quote and proof of cover before work starts.
If you only need a routine sweep and are happy booking by phone, K & N covers Telford and nearby towns. Either way, get the quote in writing on the same scope, keep the sweeping certificate with your house papers, and book before the heating season so any repair is done before you need the fire.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.