Networx3 UAV has given a clean bill of health to a 188-year-old Grade II listed church.
St John the Evangelist is a landmark building in the village of Worsthorne and Networx3 UAV took to the skies to undertake a roof inspection from the air.
In under an hour a comprehensive survey revealed the slate roof to be in good repair – apart from a single cracked tile.
Bob Clayfield, from the St John the Evangelist’s Parochial Church Council, is a long-standing contact of Networx3 UAV’s managing director Ian Ashworth.
The pair teamed up to use Networx3’s newest ‘superdrone’ – the Matrice DJI M30T.
Its onboard camera was able to capture photographs and video footage around and above the church.
The roof survey was able to check for missing pointing, roof and ridge tiles, flashing, standing water, gullies and guttering and inspect the condition of the clocktower for weather damage.
Ian said: “Our drones really come into their own on a job like this. To do the kind of comprehensive inspection the Matrice did without the drone would have meant a mobile scaffolding tower and ladders and putting people on the roof high up.
“That’s risky from a health and safety perspective. Our inspection report pinpoints exactly where the roofers need to head for to replace the cracked tile.”
Bob said: “Roof surveys are carried out twice a year at the church to check the integrity of the roof and spot blocked gutters. The drone survey does represent a significant saving for us because we’re not paying for scaffolding for the whole church like we usually do.
“I can see how this excellent drone technology could be applied at other churches going forward and I’ve recommended it to the 150 churches in the Blackburn Diocese.”
