Pigeons trapped in Southampton attic after roof hole fixed

The surviving pigeons have been sent to rescue centres across the south of England

Dozens of pigeons were trapped in an attic after contractors repaired a hole in the roof without checking for signs of life, an animal charity has said.

At least 20 birds died and 76 were rescued at the block of flats in Green Park Road, Southampton, on 10 February.

HART Wildlife Rescue said the work had been carried out by Southampton City Council contractors five days earlier.

The council said it was sorry and would be "tightening our procedures to ensure this doesn't happen again".

TV presenter Chris Packham, HART's patron, posted on Facebook to praise the charity's efforts and said the council was "responsible for employing qualified contractors, and the contractors should properly train their staff".

"This is a disgraceful case of poor practice, unaccountability and a wholesale lack of compassion," he added.

TV naturalist Chris Packham said the case was "disgraceful"

The charity was alerted to the situation by a local roofer who had spotted pigeons flying in and out of the hole before the repair work was completed.

Paul Reynolds, HART's hospital manager, told the BBC it took two days to rescue the birds and those that survived were "emaciated and showing signs of severe dehydration".

He said the attic space the pigeons were found in "wasn't huge" and there were signs birds had been living there.

"Even if it wasn't obvious, best practice dictates you check," he added.

Mr Reynolds said it was "scarily common" for pigeons to be "effectively discarded" during construction work and highlighted a previous case when baby birds were put in a plastic bag and dumped in a skip.

'Issued advice'

The charity said it has been told by the RSPCA it would not proceed with any prosecutions.

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said the incident was "distressing" and that contractors "need to be aware of the legal protection animals have and their responsibilities for their welfare".

They added: "We were made aware of these pigeons, which were kindly released before our officers attended.

"RSPCA inspectors have since been liaising with the local authority as part of their investigation and have also issued advice."

Southampton City Council said minimising harm to wildlife while undertaking work was one of its "key priorities".

"We're sorry this hasn't happened on this occasion," a spokesperson for the authority said.

"We'd like to thank residents for alerting us to the situation and the HART Wildlife Rescue team, who do a brilliant job across the region, for their rescue efforts.

"We are taking all reasonable steps to monitor activity at this address, as well as tightening our procedures, to ensure this doesn't happen again."