Regular Window Cleaning Rounds in Lanchester

The water-fed pole reaches third-storey glass and conservatory roofs from firmly on the ground, and because the water itself is pure rather than soapy, there's no detergent film left to attract dust back onto the pane.

Streaky glass, cobwebbed frames and a grey film across the sills — it creeps up on a house without anyone noticing until the sun's low in the sky and every mark shows at once. Traditional mop-and-leather cleans push the same dirty water around and leave hard water spots behind, so within a fortnight the streaks are back.

Lanchester sits within County Durham, and the mix of older terraces, post-war semis and newer estates means window styles and access vary street by street — sash frames on one row, uPVC bays on the next, a conservatory roof on the corner house.