Pigeon cull is last resort
HUNGERFORD Town Council has embarked on a cull to reduce the health menace from feral pigeons in the town, after exhausting all other options.
Town mayor Helen Simpson said she was aware the issue was emotive and would be unpopular with some residents.
But she added: “We just can’t see any viable alternative, having searched for so long and so hard.”
For many years residents have complained about the mess, health hazard, deterrent to visitors to the town and risk of injury through slipping in the droppings.
Traders have even reported pigeons entering their shops, to the dismay of customers.
The town council said in a statement the cull was being undertaken “by a professional, licensed contractor in line with the legal requirements of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981”.
The act states a cull “is justified when there is a threat
to public health and other non-lethal methods of control are found to be impractical or ineffective”.
The statement outlines the years of failure of non-lethal control methods, which have included so-called ‘fire gel’, netting and spikes.
It continues: “Unfortunately, the number of pigeons in Hungerford continued to rise and many complaints were being received.”
The reasons for the cull are stated as:
Risk to public health
Pedestrians slipping on pavements covered in pigeon droppings
Damage to buildings – the acidic nature of the droppings can cause brickwork and woodwork to deteriorate
Distress to residents from home invasion and noise.
The town council stressed its pigeon working party had tried and failed with other control methods.
Mrs Simpson said that, as an animal-lover, she personally had every sympathy with opponents of the cull.
But she added that it was the responsibility of the town council to act on behalf of all residents.
Mrs Simpson said the council had embarked on the project in the full knowledge that it would be controversial, but that taking no action was no longer an option.