Check your Worthing roof in September or October, before winter storms arrive. Clear gutters and valleys, inspect ridge mortar and lead flashings, and book a nail-sickness assessment if your property has concrete tile. Acting before the Atlantic gale season prevents expensive emergency repairs in January. Call 01903 905 128.
October in Worthing brings the first Atlantic depressions of the season across the English Channel. South-westerly gales, saturating rain and the first frosts arrive within weeks of each other. The roofs most likely to fail in these conditions are the ones that entered autumn with existing vulnerabilities. This checklist gives you the priority actions — whether you carry them out yourself from the ground or commission a professional inspection.
September and October — the Maintenance Window
The period from mid-September to the end of October is the optimal maintenance window for Worthing roofs. Summer UV stress has done its work, autumn leaf fall has not yet blocked valleys and gutters, and the main storm season has not arrived. An inspection and any necessary repair carried out in October costs a fraction of the same work carried out as an emergency in January.
British Standard BS 5534, the code of practice for slating and tiling, requires mechanical fixing of roof tiles in exposed and coastal zones — precisely the conditions across coastal Worthing.
Source: British Standard BS 5534
The Ground-Level Check — What You Can Do
Walk the Perimeter
Walk slowly around the property looking at the full roof surface from each elevation. You are looking for displaced or missing tiles, ridge tiles that appear out of line, mortar debris at the base of the walls (indicating ridge or chimney mortar loss), gutter sections that have pulled away from the fascia, and any visible daylight through the tile course. None of these require you to go anywhere near the roof.
Check the Gutters
During or immediately after heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level. Overflow mid-run indicates a blockage or a joint that has failed. Overflow at the downpipe head indicates a downpipe blockage. Gutters that run water down the outside of the fascia rather than into the gutter indicate that the gutter has pulled away from the fascia board — usually because the fascia board has rotted behind the bracket fixing.
Check the Loft Space
On a dry, bright day after a period of rain, check the loft with a torch. You are looking for: damp or wet patches on the underside of the felt underlay, daylight visible through the felt (indicating splits), damp timber at rafter or ridge beam level, and any discolouration of the felt underlay that suggests historic water tracking. None of this requires a roofer — it is something every homeowner can do.
The Professional Check — What We Do That You Cannot
Nail Sickness Assessment
For Worthing properties built between 1930 and 1970 with concrete tile, a pre-winter nail sickness check is the most important thing you can do. Tiles that are loose from corroded nail fixings appear perfectly normal from the ground. A sustained south-westerly gale in November or January can lift them in sections. We test fixing status by direct physical access — pressing individual tiles and checking the resistance. There is no ground-level equivalent of this check.
Lead Flashing Inspection
Lead flashings at chimneys, valleys, abutments and dormers are the primary water entry point when they fail. Surface cracking, lifting at dressed edges, and joint opening are all visible from ladder level but invisible from the ground. On coastal Worthing properties where salt air accelerates lead oxidation, a pre-winter lead inspection every two to three years is worthwhile.
Valley Clearance
Valleys collect leaf debris from September onwards. A valley blocked with compressed wet leaves acts as a dam — water backs up behind the blockage and tracks under adjacent tiles. Valley clearance is quick and inexpensive but makes a material difference to winter leak risk. Book it in October before the leaf fall peaks.
The Autumn Priority List
- Gutters cleared — before peak leaf fall, ideally October
- Valleys checked — cleared of any accumulated debris
- Ridge and hip mortar — inspect for cracks, crumbling or displaced sections
- Lead flashings — visual check for lifting, cracking or staining below
- Chimney — visual check of flaunching and pot stability
- Loft inspection — wet or damp patches after rain
- Fascia boards — soft or sagging sections
1930s–1960s properties in Goring-by-Sea, West Worthing and Durrington with original concrete tile and no recent nail sickness assessment. Seafront properties on Marine Parade, the Ferring coastal strip and Shoreham Beach where salt air accelerates every failure mode. Victorian and Edwardian terraces in Broadwater and Heene where original lead and mortar is over 100 years old. If your property falls into any of these categories, an autumn inspection is strongly recommended. Call 01903 905 128.
What to Do if You Find a Problem
If the ground-level check or the loft inspection reveals something that concerns you, call us for a professional inspection before winter sets in. Repair carried out in October on a dry roof in daylight is significantly less expensive and more effective than emergency repair carried out after storm damage in January. Call 01903 905 128.
Frequently Asked Questions
September and October are the ideal window — after summer UV stress and before the main Atlantic storm season. A brief check now prevents emergency calls in January. Call 01903 905 128 to arrange a professional inspection.
Tile and slate condition, ridge and hip mortar, all lead flashings, gutters and downpipes, fascia board condition, and chimney stack integrity. We photograph every finding and provide a written priority list.
Yes — and this is the single highest-impact maintenance action available to Worthing homeowners before winter. A blocked gutter overflowing into a wall cavity in November is an expensive problem. Annual clearing from £80. Call 01903 905 128.
Wind-lifted tiles on 1930s–1960s properties with ageing nail fixings, flat roof failure on rear extensions from sustained rain, lead chimney flashing failure, and gutter overflow causing wall saturation.
Last reviewed: 20 July 2026 by Worthing Roofing Experts.
About the author
Worthing Roofing Experts — local roofing specialists serving Worthing and the West Sussex coast since 2003. NFRC registered, fully insured. Call 01903 905 128 for a free quote.