'Railway pigeons would be stupid to mess with Zulu the hawk'

Falconer Joel Coldron believes his hawk Zulu will make short work of scaring pigeons from railway stations at Driffield and Beverley.

Train operator Northern, which run the stations in East Yorkshire, said Harris's hawks were being used to deter pigeons and prevent them from nesting, rather than for hunting.

Mr Coldron said: "When a pigeon sees a hawk fly up it still has the desired effect. I think a pigeon would be very stupid if they want to stay living around here with Zulu moving in next door."

Pigeon-lover Meg Johnson, from Louth, is sympathetic to the plight of the station, but added: "I'd be more concerned about the mess that humans make.

"Leaving chewing gum and food and rubbish is much worse than a bit of pigeon poo. People just don't like pigeons."

Video reporting by Amanda White.