Posters urging people not to feed pigeons have been placed on trees
INCREASING complaints about pigeon fouling has led councillors to try to stamp out bird feeding in Maida Vale.
Posters urging people not to feed pigeons have been placed on trees around Wymering Road by Westminster Council in an attempt to drive down the bird population.
Cllr Thomas Crockett, who is backing the scheme, said: “I think trying not to encourage them into the area is probably half the battle and if they don’t find it as easy to find a ready supply of food, they’re not going to breed as easily”
Cllr Crockett said he had received a number of complaints about pigeon fouling since he was elected in May, adding: “Somebody said his car ended up looking like a Jackson Pollock painting, which I thought was a nice way of putting it, although rather him than I.”
In 2007 the council introduced a byelaw that banned pigeon-feeding in the north terrace of Trafalgar Square to reduce the population.
The former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone had earlier introduced a ban on feeding in the main square in an attempt make the area “more pleasant for public use”.
At the time, animal welfare groups said the ban was inhumane and would starve the birds to death.
Cllr Crockett said they had no plans to introduce a ban in Maida Vale, adding: “Strictly speaking it’s littering, but it would be bonkers to enforce that, as it’s well-intentioned.
People leave their leftover or stale bread around the base of trees. They do it, I’m sure, because they love animals and think they’d rather feed it to the birds than just throw it in the rubbish bin, but perhaps without realising that they’re not much fun.”
He added: “It’s just a question of not encouraging them in the area and thinking maybe it’s not particularly nice for them either, because you see these horrible mangy things flapping about.”
Council street cleaners have been using high-pressure water hoses to blast away the build-up from pavements beneath trees.
Cllr Crockett believes the pigeon problem is racking up an ever-increasing bill and said: “Not only are they dirty, they make mess themselves. And this costs all council tax payers’ money
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