Holes in roofing felt

[taz777]

I finally had a look around the loft in my new (old) property and saw a few decent-sized holes in the roofing felt that exposed the roof tiles. The holes are around 6" in diameter.

Could these holes cause a leak into the loft floor? Or are roof tiles interlocked to prevent water seeping through?

If leaks could happen then how could these holes be repaired?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

The felt is really there as a back up but if the tiles are getting a bit tired they can let water through. Get up there the next time it rains.

Links to many DIYnot threads here http://www.google.com/cse?cx=003895...cse/home?cx=003895140536207806677:4mhqrzrqb9c

 

[Alastairreid]

The tiles/slates is the 1st line of defence against water ingress, there are thousands of roofs with no felt at all.
the water can come in if there is a broken, slipped tile or slate above any breaks in the membrane.

 

[taz777]

I appear to have a damp patch on the landing ceiling (just at the top of the stairs). I'm not sure if it's a water pipe leaking or water dripping from the roof.

The loft is being cleared out next week so I can get someone in to check the roof out and repair it if necessary.