SOUTHPORT, UK. September 2nd, 2026 – The announcement of Storm Austen as the first name on the Met Office’s 2026/27 storm list has prompted a Southport roofing company to urge homeowners to carry out basic roof checks now. The firm says the most important warning signs on many coastal properties are not damaged slates, but the fixings and drainage points that keep the roof secure and dry.
Roof Repairs Southport, which says it has dealt with more than 1,000 repairs across Southport, Sefton and West Lancashire, believes homeowners can be misled by the area’s reputation for heavy rain when considering what actually causes storm-related roof failures.
Southport’s rainfall is not especially extreme. The nearest comparable long-term record at Crosby gives a Met Office 1991-2020 annual average of roughly 824mm. That figure is below Manchester’s and well below the levels recorded in Cumbria. Rainfall alone does not make the town particularly unusual.
The greater concern is the town’s exposure to the Irish Sea. There is little substantial high ground between Southport and the coast, aside from the dunes, meaning Atlantic depressions can reach the area with strong winds and salt carried inland from the sea. Merseyside received an amber wind warning during Storm Éowyn on 24 January 2025. The Met Office placed it among the fiercest storms to affect the UK in more than ten years. Storm Amy produced gusts of more than 92mph in the north west last season.
“Salt does almost nothing to a slate,” said Dave of Roof Repairs Southport. “It is relentless on everything holding the slate on. We take roofs off in Birkdale and Ainsdale where the covering is in good order and the nails have simply rusted away underneath it. The same roof six miles inland at Ormskirk would have years left in it. People look up, see intact slates, assume they are fine. Then one gust off the estuary takes a row of them off in a night.”
Southport’s dunes introduce a second issue that can be overlooked by contractors more accustomed to inland properties. Fine sand can be blown from the dune system behind Southport, Birkdale, Ainsdale and Formby during prolonged westerly conditions. It can settle in gutters, roof valleys and drainage outlets on flat roofs. While loose sand is not necessarily a major problem by itself, it can combine with moss and leaves to form compacted deposits that prevent water from draining away.
The problem can become more serious in roof valleys. When water is unable to escape normally, it can find its way beneath the slates on both sides of the valley. According to the company, staining appearing in two different rooms during the same spell of rain can be an indication of this type of drainage issue rather than evidence of two separate roof failures.
Homeowners are also being warned to be cautious about unsolicited roof inspections following storms. Cold callers who offer to inspect and repair roofs immediately after severe weather remain a longstanding doorstep scam, with Sefton typically seeing renewed activity after significant gales.
“Nobody legitimate finds your roof by knocking on your door the morning after you have experienced storm damage,” Dave said. “If someone tells you they have spotted damage from the pavement and can start today, that is the whole trick. Take the number, close the door, and ring somebody you chose yourself.”
Before stormier weather arrives, the company recommends that homeowners make four checks from ground level:
- Start with the roof edges. Wind can get beneath ridges, hips, verges and the first course above the gutter, making these areas more vulnerable to lifting than the centre of a roof slope.
- Examine exposed metalwork for corrosion. Rusting brackets and flashings can reveal the effects of coastal conditions even when the slate covering appears to be in good condition.
- Properties located within two miles of the coast should have their gutters cleared twice each year rather than once.
- Give the sea-facing side of the property particular attention. West-facing pitches are exposed to the strongest combination of salt and wind-driven wear and can deteriorate sooner than sheltered elevations.
On the Sefton coast, small repairs generally cost from around £150, while projects involving structural work can run into several thousand pounds. Full re-roofing work is quoted on an individual basis following a survey.
