Is feeding the birds really such a crime?

I WHOLEHEARTEDLY support the council that prosecuted a woman for feeding the birds (Mail). I have lived for years with a neighbour who puts out food that attracts seagulls. I am continually clearing up bird mess from my car, garden furniture, patio, conservatory and the windows of my bungalow.

J. ALLEN, Chard, Somerset. COUNCIL officials and the police should worry about more serious problems in communities than petty ‘offences’ such as feeding birds. Putting out extra food to help birds survive in the winter and to feed their chicks in the spring is an act of kindness. There has been a hate campaign in my area with calls to snitch on your neighbour if they feed seagulls and patrols issuing fines. In the winter, I have seen starving seagulls and pigeons scavenging out of bins and off landfill sites. We have over-fished the oceans and destroyed seagulls’ natural habitat.

PAT O’CONNOR, Blackpool, Lancs.

BEFORE criticising councils for penalising people who feed birds in their garden, consider that just throwing food waste on the ground will attract rats and mice. Then there’s the issue of bird mess for your neighbours, especially when they have washing out. Bread has no nutritional value for birds and can make them ill, and toast can choke chicks.

PETER CHEGWIDDEN, Sheppey, Kent. FERAL pigeons are vermin and carry diseases while seagulls defile our city. Why not use hanging feeders to attract smaller birds which are in more need of help in winter?

MRS D. C. HIXSON, Swansea.

RAMPANT political correctness, people hounded by jobsworths for the ‘crime’ of feeding birds, and a criminal justice system that favours the offender over the victim — these are the hallmarks of our crazy society.

K. BENNETT, Carshalton, Surrey.