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Carbon monoxide
A blocked or sooted flue pushes carbon monoxide back into the room instead of out the top. CO is colourless and odourless — you don't know it's there. A clean flue is the difference.
NACS Certified · Fully Insured · North East England
A clean flue draws smoke up and out. A neglected one pushes carbon monoxide back into the room. We sweep, smoke-test, and certify — same visit.
Most UK home insurers expect a current sweep certificate. Without one, fire-damage claims have been refused. Yours arrives the same day.
Both are preventable. Both are reasons we recommend an annual sweep — and reasons your insurer cares whether you had one.
A blocked or sooted flue pushes carbon monoxide back into the room instead of out the top. CO is colourless and odourless — you don't know it's there. A clean flue is the difference.
UK fire services attended over 2,000 chimney fires in homes last year. Almost all caused by creosote build-up — the residue an annual sweep clears away.
Source: gov.uk fire statistics, year ending March 2025
Most UK home policies require you to keep the property in good condition. The Financial Ombudsman has upheld chimney-fire claim refusals where homeowners couldn't produce a current sweep certificate.
Why sweep
It depends on what you burn. The schedule below is the NACS guidance every UK insurer expects you to follow.
Soot isn’t the only thing worth getting out of a chimney.
What happens between sweeps
Drag the slider. Soot crawls in, draw drops, risk climbs. The case for an annual sweep, made visible.
What we do
Sweeping, CCTV inspections and bird nest removal across the North East. Carried out properly, documented thoroughly, finished tidily.
Power sweep, smoke test, certificate emailed before we leave. Dust sheets, sealed vacuum — your hearth untouched.
HD video survey of the full flue. Catches cracked liners, blockages and structural wear — you keep the footage.
Blocked flues push smoke and CO into the room. We remove inactive nests safely — sweep, cap and certificate, one visit.
Tom Hutchinson · NACS-registered sweep
Why Black Diamond
A sweep should leave no trace. Except a chimney that draws beautifully and a certificate your insurer accepts on sight.
Three principles: NACS certification, full public liability cover, and an annual service that genuinely keeps homes safe. No corners cut. No upselling. No soot on the carpet.
Every certificate insurer-recognised across the UK.
Dust sheets, sealed vacuum, boots off. No mess.
£5m public liability. Your home, fully covered.
Yearly sweep. Safer home. Lower risk. Cleaner burn.
Where we sweep
Based in Newcastle. Booked daily across Tyne & Wear, Durham, Northumberland and Tees Valley. Village not listed? Ask — we likely cover it.
Trusted locally
Five stars on Google. Honest reviews from real homes in Newcastle, Sunderland and Durham — earned one careful sweep at a time.
"Punctual, polite, and you wouldn't know they'd been here. Certificate emailed before they'd even left the drive."
"CCTV survey caught a hairline crack our last sweep missed. Saved us a much bigger bill. Worth every penny."
"Booked on WhatsApp at 9am, swept by 2pm. Stove's drawing like new. Genuinely the most professional trades visit we've had."