Lead roofing and leadwork in Worthing

We install and repair lead roofing across Worthing and West Sussex: flashings, valleys, flat roof bays and chimney leadwork, cut to the right code and photographed on your own roof.

Get a quote Call 01903 299063

Lead-lined valley where two clay-tiled roof slopes meet

Leaks traced
to the source
Photos of
your own roof
Written quote,
one total price
10-year workmanship
guarantee, in writing

Our lead roofing services on Worthing roofs

Flashings and aprons

Lead cut and dressed to join the roof to a wall, bay or dormer, with its top edge pointed into the brickwork so rain runs over the joint.
Chimney flashing and back gutters

Stepped flashings up the sides of a stack, an apron at the front and a back gutter behind it, renewed as one set so no piece lets the others down.
Soakers

Small bent lead pieces slipped between slates or tiles beside a wall to return water to the slope, replaced when they have split or been buried under old mortar.
Valleys and box gutters

Lead-lined valleys and hidden gutters between roofs or behind parapets, relaid in lengths that can move, with falls that keep the water running to the outlet.
Lead flat roofs and bays

Rolled lead laid in bays on small flat roofs, bay window tops and porches, with rolls and drips set to the fall of the deck beneath.
Dormer cheeks and detail work

Lead cladding to dormer cheeks and roofs, plus canopies and ornamental details on older Worthing houses, shaped to follow the lines already there.

Brown water stain spreading across a white bedroom ceiling near the window

Signs leadwork needs attention

Lead lifted away from the wall
A stain below a chimney breast
Splits or ripples across a flashing
Damp round a dormer cheek
Water backing up in a valley

Typical UK costs for leadwork

Typical UK price ranges
Job	UK range
Patch repair to chimney leadwork	£150 to £250
Replacing chimney leadwork, no scaffold	£350 to £460
Replacing chimney leadwork, with scaffold	£700 to £920
Code 5 lead flashing, per metre, before VAT	£50 to £70
Lead flat roof covering, per m²	£150 to £200+

Published guides give the range; what your own roof needs is settled at the survey, and the written quote that follows is one total price. Source: MyJobQuote leadwork cost guide, updated 22/09/26; Checkatrade roof repair cost guide, table updated June 2026; MyBuilder flat roof cost guide, updated 21/08/2026.

How a leadwork job runs, from first call to finished roof

Tell us where it showsCall 01903 299063 or send a WhatsApp photo of the stain, the lifted lead or the chimney, with a note of when the water appears.
Survey and photographsWe inspect the lead up close, check the pointing, the fixings and the timber beneath it, and photograph what we find.
A written quoteOne total price in writing, with the lead code we propose and the reason a repair or a renewal is the right job.
Fitting and clearing upWe cut, dress and fix the lead, photograph the finished flashings, clear the roof and take the waste away.

The lead roofing guide

Lead roofing done properly, from flashing to flat roof

Why lead is still used, how each part of a lead roof works, what makes it fail, which consents apply and what the work usually costs.

New lead valley between two slate roof slopes

Chapter one

Why lead is still used on roofs

Lead bends to the roof's shape, seals awkward joints and outlasts its surroundings, so it is still specified.

Lead roofing has been used on British buildings for centuries, and it is still the usual answer wherever a roof meets something awkward: a brick wall, a chimney stack, a dormer cheek, the valley between two slopes. A tile cannot bend round a corner. Sheet lead can. It is soft enough to be dressed by hand into the shape of the brickwork, heavy enough to stay put in a gale, and it does not rot or rust. On a Worthing lead roof, where the sea weather comes off the Channel for much of the year, that mix of qualities is hard to replace.

At a glance

Lead flashing can last over 80 years
Code 4 is the usual weight for flashings
Sheet lead is made to BS EN 12588

Lead flashing is often the longest-lived part of the roof.

It is long-lived too. MyJobQuote reports lead flashing lasting over 80 years, and over 100 years for the higher codes, while Less puts a lead flat roof at 50 to 100 years. Those are typical ranges, not promises. They depend on exposure, how the lead was cut and fixed, and whether anyone looks at it from time to time. Even so, lead flashing is often the longest-lived part of a roof, which is why the slate or tile beside it is so often the first thing to need attention.

1.1 Codes, weights and what they mean

Lead arrives in codes, and each number is a thickness. Leadworx names Code 4, at 1.80 mm, as the usual pick for general flashings, with Code 3 recommended for soakers only, Code 5 for general, vertical and pitched work and Code 6 for large roofs. The sheet is made to BS EN 12588. Thickness is only part of it. The length of each piece, the fixings and the dressing decide whether the lead moves freely or tears itself apart. Our guide to lead sheet codes sets out every code from 3 to 8.

1.2 Lead on the Worthing coast

The housing here gives lead plenty to do. Victorian and Edwardian terraces and villas near the seafront have tall chimney stacks, bay windows and slate slopes that all need lead where they meet. The 1930s semis in Goring and Durrington carry lead over bays and porches, and post-war bungalows have flat-roofed extensions where lead is one option. Along the Adur, houses of flint and brick meet their roofs at chimneys and gables, and those junctions are where lead earns its place. Any lead project in Worthing, whether installation or repair, therefore starts with a look at what the existing lead is doing and what it sits on.

High quality lead is only half of it, because the work is done by hand on site. Good Worthing leadwork is cut to a sensible size, fixed so it can move and pointed in properly. Poor work looks identical on the day it is finished and fails within a few winters. An experienced roofing Worthing firm can tell you why each piece is cut to its length; ask, and listen to the answer.

Lead sheet codes in brief

Code 3: 1.32 mm, soakers only
Code 4: 1.80 mm, the standard flashing choice
Code 5: 2.24 mm, general, vertical and pitched work
Code 6: 2.65 mm, large roofs
Standard: Sheet lead is made to BS EN 12588

Source: Leadworx, Lead Sheet Codes Explained; Royston Lead cast lead brochure; fetched October 2026

Chapter two

Chimney flashing and the pieces around it

A flashing is several pieces of lead working as a set, and water usually gets in at their joints.

Victorian terrace chimney stacks with spalled bricks and old lead flashing

Flashing is lead laid to keep rain out of every junction between a roof and something that rises from it: a party wall, a stack, the cheek of a dormer. Chimney flashing is the clearest example, because it is a set of pieces rather than one. An apron covers the front of the stack. Stepped flashings climb the sides, following the courses of tiles or slates. A back gutter sits behind the stack to catch water running down the slope and send it round the sides. Each piece laps the next, and one short lap is enough to let rain through.

At a glance

Aprons, stepped flashings and back gutters work together
Pointing holds the top edge into the brickwork
Mastic over split lead hides the fault and holds water in

Note Old Shoreham's 2023 Article 4 direction takes away chimney and flue rights whether or not the house fronts a road.

Beneath the visible lead, on slate roofing and tiled slopes alike, soakers do the quiet work. These are small, bent pieces of lead slipped between courses beside a wall, turning water back on to the slope. When mortar and moss have covered them for decades, they can split without anyone seeing. Our guide to the types of lead flashing shows how each piece is shaped and where it goes.

2.1 How lead is held to the brickwork

The top edge of a flashing is turned into a joint cut into the wall, known as a chase, held with lead wedges and pointed in. When the mortar perishes, the wedges loosen and the lead lifts, and in a gale it can flap until it fatigues and splits. Rain then runs down the wall behind the lead, and the stain appears on a ceiling below, often nowhere near the fault. Repointing the joint sometimes saves a flashing. When the lead has stretched or cracked, new lead is the better answer.

Roofer on a chimney scaffold repointing an old brick stack

2.2 Why sealant is not a repair

Mastic run along a failed flashing looks neat for a season. After that it shrinks, cracks and lets water in behind it, where the brickwork and the timber below soak it up with nothing showing on the surface. Mastic has its uses as a finishing detail, but it is no substitute for lead dressed and pointed in properly.

2.3 What chimney leadwork involves and costs

MyJobQuote's range for patching chimney leadwork is £150 to £250, and for full replacement £350 to £460 without scaffolding or £700 to £920 with it. Access is often what turns a small job into a larger one, because a chimney is usually the highest point of the house. Leadwork and repointing the stack are often best done together, since one scaffold serves both. Our chimney repairs page covers the stack itself.

Close-up of lead step flashing against red brick and tiles

Fig. 2 On the survey Lead lifted from the brickwork and pointing lost.

If the flashing is failing because the stack is, we tell you before we quote. Open brickwork joints, a crumbling flaunching (the sloping mortar cap around the pots) and a cracked haunch all let water in at the same place. New lead on a stack that still soaks up rain leaves the cause where it was, so we look at the whole stack from the roof and from the loft before recommending anything, and we photograph each fault we find.

Chapter three

Valleys, box gutters and parapet gutters

Valleys and hidden gutters carry whole slopes of rain, so a small fault there becomes a large leak.

A valley is the inside corner where two slopes meet, and it drains both. Lead-lined valleys are common on older slate and tile roofs, where the lead lies on boarding between the slopes and the covering is cut to overlap its edges. A box gutter is a similar lead-lined trough, usually hidden behind a parapet or between two roofs, and it is a feature of many Victorian terraces and larger villas near the seafront. Both do far more work per metre than any other part of a roof, which is why a hairline fault in them gives a large leak.

At a glance

A valley drains two slopes at once
Lead gutters need a fall to an outlet
Debris backs water up under the edges

Note The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 puts gutters and external pipes on the landlord's repair list for tenancies under seven years.

Because so much water passes through, falls matter. A lead gutter or valley has to slope to an outlet, with no dips where water can sit, and the outlet has to stay clear. Leaves, moss and old nesting material gather there, the water backs up, and it finds its way under the lead's edges and into the walls. The signs can appear far from the cause: a stain on a first-floor ceiling, damp at the head of a wall, a tide mark inside a cupboard.

3.1 Repair or renew the valley

A cleared outlet and a patch can be all a sound valley needs. Where the lead has creased along the same line, cracked where it was folded repeatedly or torn at the fixings, patches only borrow time, and we recommend relaying that section. That means lifting the adjoining slates or tiles, checking the boards and timbers below for rot, laying new lead in lengths that can expand and contract without tearing, and returning the covering over it. Our guide to lead valleys goes through the decision in more depth.

Dormer bungalow with a tiled roof and flat-roofed box dormer

3.2 Lead gutters and rainwater gutters

The word gutter covers two different things. The lead gutter is part of the roof construction, and when it fails the water comes through the ceiling. The rainwater gutter is the plastic, aluminium or cast-iron channel on the eaves, and when it fails the water usually drips outside, though an overflow can push water back under the first course of tiles. On some roofs the two meet: a lead box gutter that discharges into a hopper and downpipe depends on the rainwater side being clear before the lead can do its job. We check both at the survey, and we photograph the outlets so you can see what is blocked.

Relaying a lead valley

Uncover We lift the slates or tiles along both edges of the valley.
Check below We inspect the boards and timbers for rot before any lead goes down.
Lay new lead We dress fresh lead in lengths that can move, falling to the outlet.
Restore We re-lay the covering over the edges and clear the outlet.

Maintenance costs far less than relaying. Check valleys and parapet outlets each autumn and after any gale, from the ground with binoculars or from an upstairs window, never by climbing up alone. A short inspection once a year catches a creeping blockage while it is still a quick job to clear. If you would rather have it looked at properly, send us a message and we will check the outlets, the lead and the timber beneath, and photograph what is there.

Chapter four

Lead on flat roofs, bays and dormers

Rolled lead can cover a small flat roof for decades, if the deck falls and each bay can move.

Lead is not the lowest-cost flat roof covering, but it is one of the longest-lived, and on small, visible roofs it often makes sense: a bay window top, a porch, a dormer roof, a short run between two pitched roofs. These are the places where a seam in felt or a join in rubber would show, or would struggle with the shape. Lead can be dressed over curves and returns that a flat sheet cannot follow, which is why it suits a bay or a porch better than it suits a large plain rectangle.

At a glance

Lead flat roofs are laid in bays with rolls and drips
Dormer cheeks and bay tops suit lead well
A new covering can bring Part L upgrades

4.1 Bays, rolls and drips

Lead on a flat roof is laid in bays, strips of sheet running down the fall and joined along their edges by rolls, with a drip, a small step in the deck, where one bay finishes and the next begins. This arrangement is not decoration. Lead expands and contracts with the temperature, and a large unbroken sheet would buckle and crack along the same line every winter. Short bays let each piece move. The deck beneath needs a separating layer, a sound surface and a fall to the outlet, which we check with a level before quoting. A roof that ponds holds water against every seam. Our guide to lead flat roofs goes into rolls, drips and bays in more detail.

New single-ply membrane flat roof with a welded upstand and edge trim near the sea

4.2 Dormers and bay roofs

A dormer is a small roofed projection through a pitched slope. Its side walls, the cheeks, are almost always clad in lead, and the roof on top is often lead too. Where each cheek meets the main slope, stepped flashings and soakers keep the junction dry. A bay window roof works the same way: lead across the top, with an apron turned up the wall above and a neat edge over the gutter below. Both are easy to overlook from the ground, and both fail quietly, so we photograph them close up at every survey.

4.3 Lead against the alternatives

The table sets lead beside the other flat roof coverings people ask us to compare, using published lifespans. Lead costs more at the start, and over a long life the cost for each year can work out lower than a covering replaced twice. Whether it suits you turns on how large the roof is, its shape and what you intend for the house. A big plain roof above seafront flats is usually a different answer from a porch, and our flat roofing page covers the other coverings in full.

Flat roof coverings: typical published lifespans

Covering	Typical life	Source
Lead	50 to 100 years	Less
Zinc	In excess of 100 years	VMZinc
GRP fibreglass	25 to 40 years	Less
EPDM rubber	20 to 30 years or more	GreenSpec, Less
Torch-on felt	10 to 20 years	Less

Source: Less flat roof cost guide (March 2026); VMZinc FAQ; GreenSpec single-ply membranes; fetched October 2026

Laying a new covering across a whole flat roof is renovation of a thermal element under Part L (Approved Document L). Where more than 50% of that element's surface is renovated, the whole element should be upgraded to Part L's improved insulation standard in the same job, which may lift the edge height and alter the trims. A patch of leadwork does not trigger this; relaying a complete lead roof can. We say which applies at the survey, and we handle the notification through a registered building control approver or the council where it is notifiable.

Chapter five

Why lead fails, and when a repair is enough

Lead rarely fails without a reason: movement, poor fixing, perished pointing and standing water all leave their own marks.

Regency rooftops of slate and lead with the sea beyond

Lead does not wear out quickly, so when it fails there is nearly always a cause, and finding it matters more than patching the symptom. A common cause is movement. Lead expands in warm weather and contracts in cold, and a piece cut too long for its position cannot slide back, so it stretches, creeps downhill and splits along the weakest fold. Gentle sagging of an apron, ripples across a flashing and a clean horizontal crack are the usual evidence.

At a glance

Thermal movement splits lead cut too long
Failed pointing lets flashings lift in the wind
Patching the same run repeatedly costs more than renewing it

Note Six months from an insurer's final response is the window for taking a complaint to the free Financial Ombudsman Service.

Next comes fixing. The upper edge of a flashing is held in the wall by wedges and pointing, and the lower edge is dressed over the tiles or slates. Where mortar has perished, wedges drop out and the lead lifts and flaps, and in the gales that come off the Channel it fatigues quickly. Lead left to carry foot traffic dents and cracks, and lead in a valley or gutter that holds standing water wears along the line of the pond. A roofer who has only looked at the top surface can miss all of these.

5.1 How we judge the lead

At the survey we lift loose edges by hand, flex the sheet where it has been folded, look at the length of each piece and count the fixings. We press the pointing with a tool to see whether it crumbles. Then we look beneath, at the boards and timbers the lead sits on, because rot there decides how far the work goes. Every finding is photographed, so the quote makes sense against what you can see.

5.2 Repair, or renew the run

A repair is right when the damage is local and the lead around it is sound: a split along one fold, a flashing lifted by perished pointing, a small patch of corrosion. We cut out, replace or re-dress the piece and point it back in. Renewal is right when the lead is creased, work-hardened or stretched along its whole length, or has been patched several times already. A fourth patch on the same flashing costs more than the new run that would have ended the problem. We show you photographs of both routes and say which one we recommend.

5.3 Lead that has been stolen

Where lead has been taken from a roof, the structure is open to the weather at once. Take photographs for your records before anything is touched, and tell your insurer. We can make the roof weathertight first, then replace the lost lead to the same pattern once the next steps are settled.

What people sayLead lasts for ever, so a lead roof never needs looking at.

What is trueThe lead itself is long-lived, but its pointing, fixings and falls are not, and a regular inspection catches those faults while they are small.

A fourth patch on one flashing costs more than the new run.

Thinking of claiming on your home insurance? The Financial Ombudsman Service says insurers ask whether there was a storm and whether it was the main cause, and that policies often exclude gradual damage. Which? cites water entering via a neglected roof as wear and tear. Our survey photographs give you a record of the fault to show your insurer; the decision on cover is theirs. We also photograph the finished repair, so the record covers both the fault and the fix.

Chapter six

Cost, consent and getting a lead roofing quote

Price turns on the code, the length of lead, roof height and scaffolding; consent turns on the building.

Lead is priced by the metre for flashings and by the square metre for roofs, and the published ranges are wide for good reason. MyBuilder's flat roof guide puts lead at £150 to £200+ per m², against £70 to £100 for felt. Checkatrade gives Code 5 lead flashing at £50 to £70 per metre and stepped flashing at £80 to £120 per metre, before VAT. These come from national guides, not from our price list, and they show the scale of the work rather than what yours will cost. Our guide to lead roofing cost goes through them.

At a glance

A chimney scaffold is typically £400 to £900
Ask whether a quote includes VAT and scaffold hire
Listed buildings need consent for non-matching repairs

Row of concrete sectional garages with weathered grey corrugated roofs

6.1 What moves the cost

The code and the amount of lead are the obvious factors. Access is often bigger. A porch flashing can be reached from a ladder; the flashing round a chimney on a three-storey Victorian house needs scaffolding, which MyBuilder puts at £400 to £900 for a chimney scaffold and £850 to £1,200 for a standard two-storey setup. Where scaffolding stands on the highway, the scaffold firm must obtain a highway licence from West Sussex County Council, which asks for 10 working days' notice; Brighton & Hove City Council licenses its own streets. What lies under the lead matters too: rotten boards turn a flashing job into a bigger one, which is why we look before we price.

6.2 Consent for leadwork

Like-for-like repair of leadwork rarely needs planning permission, since the building keeps its appearance. On a listed building, the Adur & Worthing guide lists repairs using non-matching materials as needing listed building consent, while the South Downs National Park Authority says regular maintenance and like-for-like in-situ repairs do not. Article 4 directions in Old Shoreham and Kingston Buci remove rights over roof coverings on parts fronting a road or right of way, and over chimneys, flues and soil pipes. In Warwick Gardens, Worthing, a direction covers chimneys and, where a house fronts a highway or open space, changes to the form or material of a roof slope. If your property in Worthing sits near any of these, ask the Adur & Worthing planning team before changing materials. The Planning Portal says repairs or re-covering normally need no building control application while less than 25 per cent of the total building envelope and less than 50 per cent of the roof is affected.

6.3 Getting a quote you can rely on

Put four questions to every roofer you approach. Is VAT at the standard 20% rate in the price? Are scaffolding and any licence in it? Has somebody been up to look at the lead, or was it priced from the ground? Is the waste taken away? We survey first, photograph the problem and send a written quote giving a single total, which we keep good and fair. A figure written after a proper inspection is worth more than a lower guess.

Typical UK flat roof coverings, cost per m²

Torch-on felt£70 to £100 per m²
EPDM rubber£90 to £130 per m²
GRP fibreglass£95 to £150 per m²
Lead£150 to £200+ per m²

Figures from a single national guide; your own price follows the survey of your roof. Source: MyBuilder flat roof cost guide, updated 21/08/2026.

Lead roofing questions for Worthing property owners

How much does lead roofing cost for a house in Worthing?

National guides give ranges, not a price for your roof. MyBuilder puts lead flat roofing at £150 to £200+ per m², and MyJobQuote gives £150 to £250 for a patch to chimney leadwork and £350 to £460 for replacing it without scaffolding, rising to £700 to £920 with scaffolding. Access, the lead code and the amount of lead decide where you sit. The survey comes first, then a written quote giving one overall figure.

How do I spot a dodgy roofer before agreeing leadwork?

Treat with caution anyone who turns up unasked after a gale, shows you problems you cannot check, wants to begin at once or wants cash in advance. A good leadworker looks at the lead up close, shows you photographs, puts the price in writing and explains why each piece is being replaced or re-dressed. Contracts signed at your home normally carry a 14-day cancellation right.

How long should a lead roof last in West Sussex?

According to MyJobQuote, lead flashing can last beyond 80 years, and Less puts a lead flat roof at 50 to 100 years. Those are typical ranges, not guarantees. Exposure, the code, the length of each piece, the fixings and regular inspection all shift the figure. Pointing and fixings often fail before the lead does, which is why we check them as well as the sheet.

Do roofers still use lead, or has rubber replaced it?

Lead is still the usual material for flashings, valleys, box gutters and dormer cheeks, because it can be dressed into awkward shapes and lasts a long time. On large plain flat roofs, rubber, fibreglass or felt are often chosen instead because they cost less per square metre. We tell you where lead earns its cost on your roof and where another covering does the job.

When is the right time to book lead roof repairs?

Book as soon as you see a stain below a chimney or a wall, lead lifting or flapping, a split across a fold or water backing up in a valley. After a gale, look at the flashings from the ground. Small faults cost less before water reaches the timber. If water is coming in now, call us and we make the roof safe first.

Does my property in Worthing change how the lead is done?

Often, yes. A listed building needs consent for repairs not in matching materials, and the Article 4 directions in Old Shoreham and Kingston Buci remove some rights over roof coverings and chimneys where a house fronts a road. Near the sea we choose the code and the fixings for exposure. In a conservation area or the South Downs National Park, speak to the planning team first if materials will change.

Guides to lead flashing, valleys and lead roofs

Plain guides to lead codes, flashings, valleys, flat roofs and costs, written for houses in Worthing, Shoreham, Lancing and elsewhere across West Sussex.

Lead roofing and leadwork in Worthing

Our lead roofing services on Worthing roofs

Flashings and aprons

Chimney flashing and back gutters

Soakers

Valleys and box gutters

Lead flat roofs and bays

Dormer cheeks and detail work

Signs leadwork needs attention

Typical UK costs for leadwork

How a leadwork job runs, from first call to finished roof

Lead roofing done properly, from flashing to flat roof

1.1 Codes, weights and what they mean

1.2 Lead on the Worthing coast

Lead sheet codes in brief

2.1 How lead is held to the brickwork

2.2 Why sealant is not a repair

2.3 What chimney leadwork involves and costs

3.1 Repair or renew the valley

3.2 Lead gutters and rainwater gutters

Relaying a lead valley

4.1 Bays, rolls and drips

4.2 Dormers and bay roofs

4.3 Lead against the alternatives

Flat roof coverings: typical published lifespans

5.1 How we judge the lead

5.2 Repair, or renew the run

5.3 Lead that has been stolen

6.1 What moves the cost

6.2 Consent for leadwork

6.3 Getting a quote you can rely on

Typical UK flat roof coverings, cost per m²

Lead roofing questions for Worthing property owners

Guides to lead flashing, valleys and lead roofs

Guides

Quick answers

Send us the leadwork

Related services

Tell us about your roof