Watch: Lichfield Cathedral pigeons are no match for 'spiderman'

A team from Stourbridge firm Safer Access Solutions scaled the inside of a 35m-high spire to install a mesh to prevent pigeons from getting in and fouling.

The four-strong group answered a call from the cathedral, which wants to open an existing viewing gallery on the outside of the cathedral roof to the public by Easter, but had not been able to do so until now because to get access to the gallery would have meant passing through the church tower – which is covered in bird mess.

Gary Cook, who owns Safer Access Solutions, said the birds were able to get in through slats in the roof of the church tower, but the mesh would stop them.

He said the cathedral could have installed scaffolding costing £300,000 to get the mesh installed, but instead called his company which uses ropes attached to bolts to scale the heights and is therefore much cheaper. He went up first attaching bolts at head height along the way and then attaching the rope so by the time he had reached the top, he had fitted 60 bolts which were all pressure tested with a device that replicates a weight of 600kgs to ensure the bolts could support the weight of each climber.

The other three employees then followed him to the top and abseiled back down again after installing the mesh. "We are basically sSpidermen – we climb to the top of high buildings to do jobs," he said.

"We have worked at football grounds changing lights, as well as blocks of flats and next week we will be working in the east end of London. The system we use is very safe and it is a lot cheaper than using scaffolding.

"The mess had just built up over years and years at the cathedral and the staff were obviously cleaning it away every three months, but it would just come back.

"The only way to really stop it and prevent the birds from getting in is by putting up a physical barrier, such as a mesh.

"Churches all over the country have the same problem," said Mr Cook.