A private tarmac tennis court at a residential property in Crawley Down, West Sussex that had developed significant algae growth across the surface — dark patches and streaks spreading across the playing area and making the surface slippery and visually tired. The court also had a basketball hoop and multi-use markings that were being obscured by the growth.
The problem: algae on a tarmac sports surface
Tarmac tennis courts and multi-use games areas are particularly vulnerable to algae because the porous surface retains moisture and the open-air location means limited shade to dry it out quickly. Algae growth on a sports surface is more than a cosmetic issue — it creates a genuinely slippery playing surface that changes how the court performs and presents a real safety risk. At this Crawley Down property the algae had spread across a significant portion of the court and the surface lines were becoming difficult to read.
What we did
- Pressure-washed the full tarmac court surface using specialist sports surface cleaning techniques to remove algae without damaging the playing surface
- Treated the affected areas with biocide to kill algae at the root and slow regrowth
- Cleaned the full perimeter and surrounding hard standing areas
- Left the court surface clean, the playing lines crisp, and the surface safe underfoot
The result
The court surface came back clean across the full area — the dark patches gone, the surface grip restored, and the court markings fully visible again. The customer could see immediately that the court was safe to play on again. A clean like this on a tarmac sports surface typically needs repeating every two to three years depending on tree cover and exposure.
Tennis court and sports surface cleaning across West Sussex and Surrey
We clean private tennis courts, multi-use games areas and hard-standing sports surfaces across Crawley Down, East Grinstead, Crawley and the wider West Sussex and Surrey borders area. If you have a tarmac or macadam court that has gone slippery or is looking neglected, it’s a job we handle regularly and the results are immediate.
