Councillor calls foul over pigeon muck
It’s six inches deep under some rail bridges, says politician
Jack thomson
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lynsey.gair@reachplc.com kirsteen.brown@trinitymirror.com 0141 309 4312 Families are being forced to trudge through six-inch deep piles of pigeon muck under railway bridges, councillors have warned.
John Hood has demanded blighted walkways are cleaned up across Renfrewshire.
He has called on Network Rail to take action on streets outside stations it owns.
Councillor Hood demanded action at a local authority summit.
He said: “Many of us don’t use cars and instead use pedestrian footpaths and have to walk under several railway bridges.
“We have to walk on pigeon poo and even dead birds and it’s absolutely shocking.
“I walked down Linwood Road recently at the railway bridge and because the council can’t get in with the machines, the pigeon poo is actually six inches deep.
“It has been reported, but it will need to be manually dug out and brushed.
“I want to get the council talking to Network Rail.”
The Johnstone South and Elderslie member says pedestrians should not be forced to walk through mess.
He says efforts to clean stretches have failed because street cleaners are unable to get access.
Network Rail owns and manages the infrastructure at rail stations.
And Councillor Hood asked for the company to send in cleaning teams at a full council meeting on last week.
Councillor James MacLaren backed the calls and claimed upgrades are needed at Paisley’s main station.
He said: “I feel Network Rail seem to be falling down in their duty with regards lack of maintenance with overhead gantries and railway bridges.
“Gilmour Street Station also badly needs restored, painted in many places and trees, which grow out of the walls, removed.
“Network Rail seems to be washing its hands of maintaining these things. “It’s an eyesore. “We really should be doing something to press it to take some action.”
Network Rail declined to comment.