Bird damage is bigger than birds
Wherever the public, food and complex buildings collide, pigeons, gulls, starlings and corvids find a way in. From corroded roof membranes and blocked gutters to contaminated stock and a viral video doing the rounds at six in the morning, the costs of bird activity rarely show up in a single line on the balance sheet — but they always show up.
IPS designs integrated bird-control programmes that match the building, the bird species, the sector regulator and the budget — from one-off proofing on a Liverpool flat roof to a full annual seagull deterrent rotation across a multi-site automotive estate. Every system we install is humane, fully compliant with the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, and backed by audit-ready documentation.
Whether you’re protecting a food processing site under BRC audit, a 40-store retail estate, a social housing scheme or a heritage building, our nationwide field team mobilises quickly, documents everything, and stays with you long after the install.
Discover more about our bird-control services
Commercial Pigeon Control →
Seagull & Gull Deterrent →
Anti-Roosting Spikes →
Bird Netting Systems →
Bio-Acoustic Deterrents →
Solar Panel Bird Proofing →
Commercial Pigeon Control
Feral pigeons are the most common urban bird-control problem in the UK — and one of the most expensive when ignored. Acidic droppings corrode roofing membranes and cladding, blocked gutters cause water ingress, and a single pigeon can produce up to 12 kilograms of guano a year.
IPS combines structural assessment, targeted exclusion, and humane proofing — spikes, post & wire, mesh, fire-rated netting — to clear the population, protect the building, and stop them coming back. Every recommendation is followed up with documentation your auditor will accept.
12kg
Guano per pigeon, per year
2.5cm
Min ledge for spike systems
10+ yrs
Guaranteed system life
Seagull & Gull Deterrent
Once gulls nest, the law severely restricts what you can do until the chicks fledge. The window to act is the few weeks before nesting begins each spring — and missing it means another full season of fouling, attacks on staff, blocked HVAC, and roof-access work refused on safety grounds.
IPS runs annual pre-nesting deterrent rotations for industrial sites, food processors and FM partners across the UK — combining flying kites, bio-acoustic distress-call systems, post & wire on flat roofs, and species-specific licence work where physical removal is genuinely the last resort.
Mar–Aug
UK gull breeding season
Annual
Pre-season deterrent rotation
100%
Wildlife Act compliant
The annual pre-nesting seagull programme
Rolled out across an automotive site every year for nearly a decade. Kites, bio-acoustic systems and proactive scheduling keep production rolling and roof-access teams safe.
Anti-Roosting Spike Systems
The most cost-effective deterrent for ledges, parapets, signage, lighting, HVAC plant and pipe runs. Modern stainless or polycarbonate spike systems are nearly invisible from ground level and remove the landing surface entirely — the bird simply has nowhere to perch.
IPS only specifies UV-stabilised, marine-grade systems from manufacturers we’ve tested in the field. Installs are MEWP- or rope-access depending on the structure, and every job leaves a documented site plan for your facilities team.
Stainless
Marine-grade build
100%
Humane — no harm to birds
10+ yrs
Manufacturer warranty
Bird Netting Systems
Where the architecture creates voids, courtyards, loading bays or atria that birds love and spikes can’t cover, professional-grade netting closes the space entirely. Our systems are tensioned to BS 8584, fire-rated where required, and almost invisible from the public side.
Cheap netting fails — we’ve seen plenty. UV-degraded mesh sags, traps birds and creates a worse welfare and reputational problem than the original. Our installs are designed for a 10-year service life, with annual maintenance baked into the contract for sites that need it.
Bio-Acoustic & Visual Deterrents
For sites where physical exclusion isn’t possible — large flat roofs, open service yards, dock edges — we deploy species-specific bio-acoustic systems that play distress and predator calls programmed for the bird population on site.
Combined with high-aspect flying kites and reflective scarers, the deterrent layer keeps birds airborne and unsettled. Birds don’t habituate when the audio is genuine and the schedule is randomised — both of which our programmes are built around.
Solar Panel Bird Proofing
PV arrays are perfect pigeon real estate — warm, dry, sheltered, and predator-free. Once they nest underneath, droppings shadow the cells, output drops by up to 20%, and removing them is a long, expensive job that means a roof full of scaffolding.
IPS fits stainless-steel perimeter mesh fins — the manufacturer-approved standard — sealing the panel-to-roof gap without voiding the array warranty or interfering with airflow. We coordinate with O&M providers and roof access teams to fit between cleaning cycles, on a single visit.
Wildlife & Countryside Act compliance — built into every job
All wild birds in the UK are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Our team is licensed, trained and audited so that proofing, deterrent and (where genuinely necessary) lethal-control work is delivered to the letter of the law — on the right side of every regulator.
Trusted across every commercial sector
Food & Drink
Manufacturing & Logistics
Retail & Offices
Social Housing
Humane methods first — always
Physical exclusion
Spikes, post & wire, mesh, netting and proofing brushes — engineered to remove the perch or block the entry without ever harming the bird. The starting point on every site we touch.
Sonic & bio-acoustic deterrents
Species-targeted distress and predator calls keep populations airborne and unsettled, perfect for large open roof estates and yards where exclusion isn’t feasible.
Visual deterrents
High-aspect kites, raptor silhouettes and reflective scarers add a visual pressure layer to the audio programme — together they make the site genuinely uninviting.
All UK wild birds protected since
1981
Wildlife & Countryside Act
Of installs use
100%
Humane, non-lethal methods first
Developing the future of bird management
From AI-driven roof-mounted optical scarers to next-generation low-frequency bio-acoustic systems, IPS field-tests new bird-management technology with R&D partners across the UK — so the deterrent on your roof keeps working long after the birds figure out the last one.
Audit-ready documentation at every site
When the auditor walks into your building — BRC, AIB, EHO, M&S, Tesco, your insurer, your end-client’s end-client — they want to see a system, not a story. Every IPS site has live site plans, tethered baiting maps, treatment records, action close-out logs and an escalation history that the auditor can pull up and tick off without a phone call to anyone.
We back it up with seven independent accreditations — BPCA, Safe Contractor, Construction Line, CHAS, IPAF, CSCS and Prompt Basis Register — and an unbroken delivery history on multi-site contracts under all the major retailer specifications.
Ready to act?
Book a free bird-control survey
A 30-minute walk-around with one of our specialists, a written report with photographs, and a costed proposal for any work needed. No obligation.
About Bird Control
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to deter birds from my building?
Yes. Humane deterrents — spikes, netting, post & wire, sonic and visual scarers — are entirely legal. What’s illegal is killing, injuring or interfering with nesting wild birds without the right licence in place. We do all our work to the letter of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981.
When do you need to start a seagull deterrent programme?
Late winter into early spring — before nests are established. Once eggs are laid, you’re committed to the season. Our annual rotations begin in February or March each year.
How much does professional bird-proofing cost?
It varies enormously by building and bird species. A small spike install on a shop frontage can start under £500. A large warehouse roof netting and ongoing deterrent contract for a multi-site retailer runs into five figures. Our site survey produces a costed proposal so you know up front.
Will bird spikes harm the birds?
No. Properly specified spike systems make landing uncomfortable, not impossible. Birds simply move on to a more suitable perch. We never specify systems designed to injure.
Do you cover the whole of the UK?
Yes — bird control is a nationwide service for IPS. Our pest-control arm is North-West focused, but we run bird-control programmes across England, Scotland and Wales for multi-site clients and FM partners.
Can you work with our existing FM provider?
We do it all the time. We act as a preferred specialist supplier to a number of national FM providers, with the documentation, accreditations and vetted-contractor status they require. Talk to us about how we can slot into your existing supply chain.
Will bird-proofing void my solar panel warranty?
Not when it’s done right. Our solar perimeter mesh is the manufacturer-approved standard, fitted without penetrating the panel rails or interfering with airflow under the array. We’re happy to coordinate with your O&M provider before any work starts.
What documentation do we get with a bird-control contract?
Site plans, RAMS, COSHH, treatment records, action close-out logs, escalation trail, photographic evidence, BPCA-compliant reports. Everything an auditor or insurer asks for — and a few things they haven’t thought to ask for yet.