Reporting local life since 1854 37pMonday, July 25, 2011

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‘NUISANCE’PIGEONS TOBE CULLED

Town centre clean-up plan ruffles feathers

BY ALEX CAMPBELLalex.campbell@thesentinel.co.uk

THOUSANDS of pigeons are to beculled in Hanley in an attempt to cleanup the city centre.

A special team will exterminate thebirds in the streets surrounding ThePotteries Shopping Centre as part ofplans to attract shoppers.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council said ithad taken expert advice which saidthat up to 15,000 pigeons are roosting inH a n l e y, fouling pavements and poten-tially spreading diseases.

Contractors will be hired to catch thebirds in live traps before they are“humanely dispatched”.

Martin Scott, landlord of TheTontine and the Burton Stores,believes the pigeon population in thecity centre is on the rise.

The 34-year-old said: “One ideawould be to introduce more signsencouraging people not to feed them.”

Pigeon fancier Nigel Moss, aged 45,of Queen Street, Audley, said care mustbe taken to avoid culling prime racingpigeons, some worth thousands, whichget lost among the city centre flocks.

The father-of-four, who keeps 50pigeons, said: “I can see why the coun-cil thinks the pigeons are a nuisance,but it has to be c a re f u l . Racing pigeonssometimes get lost and they will go tothe nearest flock.

“Some pigeons are valuable – theyrace more than 500 miles. They shouldhave rings on them or a stamp on theirwing to show who they are owned by.”

The cull is part of an ‘enhancedcleaning regime’, drawn up for thecouncil’s rejuvenated £7 million publicrealm plan to increase footfall in Han-l e y.

An initial one-off cull will cost £3,000and contractors will return annually. Afurther £3,460 will be spent cleaning uppigeon mess.

Student Josh Nixon, from StocktonBrook, said the cull was a “waste oftime and money”.

The 19-year-old said: “I’m awarethere are pigeons around, but they’venever bothered me. I certainlywo u l d n’t advocate killing them as asolution.”

The council said its culling method,which is likely to involve the birdsbeing poisoned or shot, was more

humane than using spikes or netting.But Katie Fowler, of animal rights

ch a r i t y Animal Aid, said: “There is nonice way to cull pigeons.

“It’s a waste of taxpayers’ moneybecause pigeons will come back. Likemost culls, you can take them out of acertain place temporarily, but you can-not change the natural order.

“If the conditions are attractive tothem, the pigeons will just come back.You need to make the conditions lessappealing to them in the first place.

“In almost all cases it is humanbehaviour that attracts them.”

The council said work could startsoon after plans are rubber-stampedthis week. A spokesman said: “Pig eonscarry we i l ’s disease, which can causecardiovascular problems.

“The pigeon population growsthroughout the year due to the fastreproduction period, the fact they haveno natural predators and due to peopledropping food waste on the floor.

“We ’re able to map where pigeonscongregate because they are known forroosting in buildings where they werebor n.”

‘Pigeons are part of the town’ and how£7 million scheme will help transformHanley: See Page 6

Should the pigeons be culled? Emailus at letters@thesentinel.co.uk

BORROWED TIME: Hanley’s pigeons.

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