Coo’s to blame for Gardens mess?
PESKY PIGEONS SABOTAGE TOWN HALL RE-SEEDING WORK AT PICCADILLY GARDENS
THE never-ending saga that is the state of Piccadilly Gardens has taken yet another twist.
Visitors to Manchester city centre may have noticed the much-maligned turf looking a little worse for wear again recently.
Snow, rain and heavy footfall has turned parts of the Gardens into a quagmire, not for the first time.
In the hope of warmer weather in the not too distant future, the council carried out some re-seeding work on the areas of the grass which have been the most affected.
Unfortunately, their efforts have been sabotaged by another of the city centre’s persistent problems... pigeons.
Resident Ben Doyle was walking through the Gardens when he spotted the birds enjoying a feast.
He tweeted a photo to Manchester city council adding: “I think the pigeons have eaten all the grass seeds they put down the other day in Piccadilly Gardens.”
Sharing the photo with the M.E.N., he said the sight ‘made him laugh.’
City centre spokesperson Pat Karney confirmed efforts were recently made by council officials to re-seed the Gardens.
It is understood experts try to drill down into the soil so that pigeons wouldn’t be able to get at them.
But it seems some seed remained on the surface and was quickly gobbled up by the resident avian population.
“The reason why we’ve got so many filthy pigeons in Piccadilly Gardens is because there’s about five people who come every day to feed them,” Mr Karney said.
“They must be the best-fed pigeons in Manchester.
“We’ve told people not to but they keep coming back.”
It is understood re-seeding work in Piccadilly Gardens will continue and it is hoped the grass will return in a better condition by spring.