Man fined £150 for feeding pigeons in town centre

"Feeding pigeons not only encourages pigeons and other vermin such as rats but creates litter", Luton Council said (stock image)

A man has been fined £150 for feeding pigeons in a town centre.

Luton Council's Neighbourhood Enforcement team said he was caught giving food to the wild birds in St George's Square.

"Not only does it attract further pigeons, it also attracts other vermin," it said, via Twitter.

Some people on social media have criticised the fine, while others have praised the action.

The person was fined in St George's Square, Luton

Luton Council said it was "committed to tackling litter" and its enforcement team "will issue fines to anyone caught littering, including feeding pigeons".

In 2021 the council increased the fixed penalty for littering to £150, which its Neighbourhood Enforcement team patrol can hand out.

The council said: "Feeding pigeons not only encourages pigeons and other vermin such as rats but creates litter."

It said it wanted the town to "be a great environment for people to visit, live and work in".

"Tackling antisocial behaviour like this will have a major impact on the appearance of our streets."

A number of people on Twitter criticised the decision, with one user saying: "£150 fine for feeding a pigeon? You've probably put that 'individual' into debt or taken his housekeeping money for the next fortnight. Get a grip."

Another said: "Never seen something more stupid in my life man's just looking after the birds maybe that's his only joy in his day."

However, one user said the fine was "about time", while another said: "This is good to see. Park Square and the car park at Leagrave Park near the railway bridge is full of pigeons too. People regularly feed them. Totally disgusting to the local area."