PIGEONS are ruffling feathers – prompting a call for help.
Warwick District Council is looking to counter rising problems caused by the birds nesting under railway bridges in Warwick and Leamington.
In a letter to Network Rail, which owns, operates and maintains the 13 bridges across the district, WDC highlighted serious concerns about four locations where pigeons gathering underneath the archways have led to the footpaths becoming heavily coated in droppings, despite the council’s cleaning regime.
WDC has urged Network Rail to step-up the prevention measures it has in place at Lower Avenue and Clemens Street/High Street in Leamington, together with Emscote Road and Coventry Road in Warwick, where previous efforts to manage the problem, including putting up meshing under the bridges, were no longer working.
WDC’s neighbourhood spokesperson Coun Will Roberts said: “The problems arising from pigeons roosting under our railway bridges has been of serious concern for some time and has now reached a point where urgent action must be taken.
“It’s unsightly, as such a build-up of droppings is extremely off-putting for residents and visitors to our towns and it’s becoming a health and safety requirement that Network Rail needs to address.
“We will work alongside Network Rail to find a lasting solution, but as custodian of the railway bridges, we will need their full cooperation to make real progress here.”
