Spalding pigeons: Council begs shoppers to stop feeding the birds

Efforts to reduce pigeon fouling in Spalding are being hampered by people continuing to feed them, council officials say

Councillors have pleaded with shoppers in a Lincolnshire market town to stop feeding pigeons.

A pest control company has been using a hawk to scare off the birds in Spalding town centre after complaints about pigeon droppings blighting the area.

But officials say their efforts are being scuppered by shoppers dishing out scraps of food.

The measures are part of an initiative by South Holland District Council to clean up the town.

Councillor Elizabeth Sneath told a recent Spalding Town Forum meeting that people were still feeding the pigeons, despite being told not to.

"I've had evidence of this sent to me, particularly outside Boots," she said.

"There is a sign up, but people are ignoring it, so that is still attracting them to the town centre. We've got to stop people feeding them."

It has led to parts of the town centre being blighted by pigeon poo

Councillor Roger Gambba-Jones suggested two-way communication on CCTV cameras would be helpful to deter people feeding the birds.

"The operators could sit in Boston and occasionally press the button and say 'Excuse me, would you mind not feeding the pigeons?' It would scare the living daylights out of them," he said.

The hawk is being flown around the town centre for 12 weeks, but the meeting was also told there had been mixed reports about its effectiveness.

Councillor Angela Newton told the meeting: "I've heard the pest control company hasn't had much success in dealing with the pigeons.

"We need to be doing more to clean up the town centre. They are pretty disgusting creatures. It's a pity we can't shoot them."

However, the meeting also heard the hawk was effective, but the pigeons were being encouraged by people offering them food, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.