How much does a chimney sweep cost in the UK?
A chimney sweep costs £80 on average in the UK. Most jobs fall between £50 and £150 per chimney. Service type: Single open fire or flue £50 to £90, Wood burner or stove flue sweep £65 to £110, Inglenook £100 to £150. Prices reviewed July 2026.
A chimney sweep usually costs £50 to £150 per chimney in the UK, with most people paying around £80 for a single flue swept and a certificate issued. The price depends mainly on the type of flue, how sooty or blocked it is and where you live.
Chimney sweep cost calculator
Use the calculator to price your chimney sweep in 2026. Adjust the options and area for a UK cost range. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Chimney sweep cost breakdown
Typical chimney sweep costs, by option:
| Service type | Typical UK cost |
|---|---|
| Single open fire or flue, with certificate | £50 to £90 |
| Wood burner or stove flue sweep | £65 to £110 |
| Inglenook, tall stack or bird's nest removal | £100 to £150 |
What's included in the price?
Typical chimney sweep prices include:
- Sweeping the full length of the flue with rods and brushes or a power sweep
- Sheeting up the fireplace and using a vacuum to keep the room clean
- A smoke or draw test to check the flue is clear and pulling properly
- A sweeping certificate for your records and home insurance
- Bagging and clearing away the soot and debris
What changes the price?
The things that move chimney sweep prices most:
The type of flue, from an open fire to a lined wood burner
How sooty or blocked it is, and how long since it was last swept
Whether there is a bird's nest or blockage that needs removing
Access, such as a tall stack or a stove that has to be part-dismantled
How many chimneys are swept in the same visit
Your region
These are why two quotes for the same job can differ, and the only way to know your price is to get prices from local firms (through Bark; we may earn a fee, at no extra cost to you).
How the price is built up
The price is built around a sweep's time for a visit of roughly 45 minutes to an hour, plus travel, public liability insurance and trade body membership. A wood burner takes longer because the appliance often has to be part-dismantled to reach the flue, and a bird's nest or heavy soot build-up adds time and mess, which is what pushes a job towards the top of the band. A chimney sweep is almost entirely labour. There are no materials to speak of beyond the sweep's own rods, brushes and vacuum, so you are paying for their time, kit and travel, plus the certificate at the end.
Ways to keep the cost down
- Have a second chimney swept in the same visit, as the extra flue is usually £30 to £50 rather than a full call-out
- Book in spring or summer when sweeps are quieter, rather than the autumn rush before the heating season
- Sweep on schedule so soot never builds up, since a neglected flue takes longer and costs more to clear
- Get a couple of quotes from local sweeps registered with a trade body such as HETAS or the Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps
Does where you live change the cost?
In London, a chimney sweep typically costs around £95, about 20% above the UK average of £80. In the North, Scotland and Wales the guide figure is nearer £80.
| Region | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midlands / East (UK average) | £50 | £80 | £150 |
| London | £60 | £95 | £180 |
| South East / South West | £55 | £85 | £160 |
| North / Scotland / Wales | £50 | £80 | £150 |
Guide prices per chimney, scaled with the same regional multipliers as the calculator. Not quotes.
Chimney sweep cost in major UK cities
| City | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | £50 | £75 | £140 |
| Birmingham | £50 | £80 | £150 |
| Bristol | £55 | £85 | £160 |
| Cardiff | £50 | £80 | £150 |
| Edinburgh | £50 | £80 | £150 |
| Glasgow | £50 | £80 | £150 |
| Leeds | £50 | £80 | £150 |
| Liverpool | £50 | £80 | £150 |
| London | £60 | £95 | £180 |
| Manchester | £50 | £80 | £150 |
| Newcastle | £50 | £80 | £150 |
| Sheffield | £50 | £80 | £150 |
City guide estimates, scaled by local labour costs. Indicative averages for chimney sweep, not quotes.
In London and the South East, figures run around £80 to £150, while much of the North, Wales and Scotland sits closer to £45 to £80.
Compare this with a real quote
The figures above are guide prices. Two or three quotes from local chimney sweeps tell you what it costs where you live.
Free and no obligation. You answer a few questions on Bark, local pros get in touch, and you decide who, if anyone, to hire. We may earn a fee, at no extra cost to you.Common questions
How much does a chimney sweep cost in 2026?
A chimney sweep typically costs £50 to £150 per chimney in 2026, with most people paying around £80. A standard open fire or flue is £50 to £90, a wood burner or stove flue is £65 to £110, and removing a bird's nest or sweeping a tall or awkward stack runs £100 to £150 or more.
What affects the cost of a chimney sweep?
The main factors are the type of flue, how sooty or blocked it is and how easy it is to reach. A lined stove flue, a bird's nest to clear, a tall stack and higher labour rates in the South East all push the price up. A second chimney swept in the same visit is usually only £30 to £50 on top, as the sweep is already there.
Do I get a certificate when the chimney is swept?
Yes. A professional sweep issues a sweeping certificate once the flue is clear, and it is dated and often shows the fuel type. Many home insurers, and most landlords letting a property with a solid fuel appliance, want to see one, and it is handy proof the flue has been checked before you light the first fire of the season.
Is it worth paying for a professional chimney sweep?
For a used chimney, yes. A blocked or heavily sooted flue is the main cause of chimney fires and can push carbon monoxide back into the room, so at £50 to £150 a sweep is cheap insurance against a fire or a repair bill that runs into the thousands. A professional also spots problems like a cracked pot, a failed liner or a nest before they become dangerous. Sweeping is not a substitute for a carbon monoxide alarm: the NHS advises one in each room with an appliance that burns gas, oil, coal or wood.
Can I sweep my own chimney?
You can on a simple, straight open flue, and a rod and brush set costs £30 to £60, though fire and rescue services advise against sweeping your own chimney. The catches are that you get no certificate, so insurers may not accept the work, and it is easy to miss a partial blockage or damage a stove liner with the wrong brush. For a wood burner, an angled flue or anything you cannot see up, most people pay a sweep who can test the draw and issue paperwork.
How often should a chimney be swept?
It depends on the fuel. Fire and rescue services advise every three months for wood while the fire is in use, at least twice a year for bituminous house coal, at least once a year for smokeless fuel, and once a year for oil and gas. An unused chimney still wants an occasional check for nests and debris.
Can I still burn house coal or wet wood?
Burning them is not illegal in itself outside a smoke control area, but in England selling them for home use is restricted. Under the Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020, traditional bituminous house coal can no longer be sold to households, and firewood sold in units under 2 cubic metres must be certified at 20 per cent moisture or less. In a smoke control area you can burn only authorised fuel unless the appliance is Defra-approved, and in England smoke from your chimney can mean a penalty of up to £300. Wet wood also builds up tar in the flue, which means more sweeping.
Official guidance and sources
The rules and schemes referenced on this page come from these official UK sources. The price figures are Costwise's own; see how we price.
- Stop a chimney fire from happening to you Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service · A fire and rescue service's sweeping advice by fuel, including every three months for wood while in use, and its advice against sweeping your own chimney.
- Open fires and wood-burning stoves: a practical guide Defra · Defra's guide: soot and tar build-up raises the risk of chimney fires, a qualified sweep is the better choice, and traditional house coal can no longer be sold for domestic use in England.
- Smoke control areas: the rules GOV.UK · What you can burn in a smoke control area, the exemption for approved appliances, and the penalty for smoke from a chimney.
- Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020 legislation.gov.uk · The regulations that ended the sale of traditional house coal to households in England and require small quantities of firewood to be certified dry.
- Carbon monoxide poisoning NHS · The NHS advises a carbon monoxide alarm in each room with an appliance that burns gas, oil, coal or wood.
Cite this data
These figures are free to use in articles, reports and research under a CC BY 4.0 licence. All we ask is a credit to Costwise, and online a link. Where your style allows, please make "Costwise" the linked word so readers can check the figure for their own region.
Costwise (2026): A chimney sweep typically costs £80 in the UK, ranging from £50 to £150. Reviewed July 2026. costwiseuk.co.ukSource: Costwise (costwiseuk.co.uk)Costwise (2026). Chimney sweep cost. Costwise UK cost data, version 2026-10-12. https://costwiseuk.co.uk/chimney-sweep-cost/2026-10-12 (158 jobs)Dataset DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21159943 · also on Kaggle, Hugging Face and Figshare. Method: how we price. Downloadable CSV.
These are independent guide prices based on typical UK jobs in 2026. Your actual cost depends on your property, spec, access and where you live. Always get at least three written quotes before committing.