THATCHAM Town Council has deployed boots on the ground to investigate the latest pigeon menace said to be plaguing the High Street.
Last year the town council discussed plans to deal with the birds – and their droppings – even debating the possibility of culling the winged menace at one stage.
But following research by town council officers, it was decided to try and reduce the amount of food spillages and litter to cut down on pigeon numbers.
The strategy also included a review of bins and investigating nesting in buildings.
But the issue came home to roost again at a finance and general purposes meeting last week when an unhappy resident wrote in saying: “The High Street is filthy with pigeon droppings and feathers. They need to be culled/disposed of!!!
“We, as have others, tried different measures to deter the birds and not been successful. We have spikes as our deterrent and this has not worked. Our gutters keep getting blocked up with bird droppings and when we get rain makes them overflow.
“We clean them on a more than regular basis at our own cost. No sooner is it cleared than it is blocked again. This really isn’t acceptable it’s filthy, would anyone like to be rained on by bird poo.
“It has previously been blamed on rubbish/food waste from the food outlets, this really is not the case and the people who have decided against a cull of these birds obviously d
o not live here or have to put up with the mess, is it not time to take action? It has been an issue for far too long now.”
But the idea that the area was infested with pigeons was pooh-poohed by town councillors, with Richard Crumly (Con, Thatcham central) saying that his recent observations were to the contrary.
He said: “I can’t recall seeing any pigeons causing a problem with their presence, droppings or noise. We need evidence. There’s a claim that the town is awash with pigeon droppings when we have heard against this.”
But Lee Dillon (Lib Dem, Thatcham north) said that the resident may use the High Street more than councillors, which could explain why they felt the area was too messy and needed addressing.
Councillor Crumly agreed to be “the boots on the ground” to monitor the pigeon situation and report back at the next meeting.
Do you think there’s a pigeon problem?
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