Call made to cull town's pigeons

The number of pigeons is determined by the available food supply

A Lincolnshire town's pigeon population should to be cut because the birds are damaging buildings and posing a health risk, a town councillor has said.

Councillor John Judge said he wanted pigeons in Stamford to be culled.

Mr Judge said: "People won't appreciate what I'm saying, I know, but what do you do?"

Guy Merchant, director of the Pigeon Control Advisory Service (PICAS), said reducing food sources was a better solution to getting rid of the birds.

The only way to reduce the flock size is to reduce the food source Guy Merchant, Pigeon Control Advisory Service

He added that since flock sizes were determined by the amount of food available, culling pigeons resulted in an increase in food supply for the rest of the flock.

"Scientists believe that you will get somewhere between a 15% and 30% increase in numbers following a cull," he said.

"The only way to reduce the flock size is to reduce the food source. In 99% of cities all over the world, pigeon flocks are sustained purely by public feeding."

But Mr Judge said: "We are not achieving anything... It is alright somebody flying a hawk to chase them away, but they will come back."