Stop the pigeons
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
31/01/2008
Flocks of potentially disease ridden pigeons are being scared off a west London street after the council employed Maverick the Hawk to frighten them away.
Hammersmith & Fulham Council acted swiftly to tackle the menace, on Perham Road, W14, after more than 75 residents signed a petition complaining of vast numbers of pigeons pooing their way across the picturesque street. Hundreds of residents were galvanised into action after running the gauntlet of pigeon mess on a daily basis.
The site, now a ‘strategic grot-spot’ on the council’s hit list, is the first area to benefit from the hawk-style enforcement pilot. It will continue to receive regular on-going fly-bys until the pigeons are down to more acceptable levels or the trial evaluated.
Cllr Caroline Ffiske, H&F Assistant Cabinet Member for Residents Services, leads on grot-spots for the council. She says, “Pigeons carry a range of diseases including salmonellosis, tuberculosis and ornithosis. Their droppings, nesting material and dead carcasses can contain a wide variety of mites and insects.
“This is a listening council which believes in putting residents first – residents should not have to deal with this sort of nuisance outside their home or on the commute to work. This is why we hired the hawks, in a pilot exercise, to frighten them off.”
The hawks have made regular daily visits to disperse the pigeons and the good news for residents is that latest figures indicate that the feathered fiends are being scared off by the hawks during visits. The council is hopeful that the sighting of dozens of pigeons on a daily basis will now reduce.
Resident Rod Mason said, “We collected a petition of 75 signatures in just a couple of hours of door-knocking one Saturday afternoon. I have a one year old daughter and am very concerned for her health because the whole of our building and the whole of the street is covered in pigeon shit.”
