Racing pigeons' lives on the line

Pigeon racing is popular across Northern Ireland

A racing pigeon fancier and his teenage son may be forced out of the sport after their birds died through colliding with overhead power lines.

Sandy Ferguson and his son Paul have lost several promising young racing birds which were killed or injured when they flew into the electricity lines.

NIE, which is responsible for the lines, can erect "diverters" at a cost of £700 to keep the young bird away from the lines.

The company, however, said the work would entail an alteration to the lines which would have be paid for by the customer.

Sandy Ferguson said his son was losing at least one young pigeon each week to the lines with two being killed in the past week.

His said Paul did not have the money to pay for the diverters.

"We can't afford it. Paul is only 16. He has just left school and is on a trainee welder's wages," Mr Ferguson said.

You can't put the pigeons through that kind of torture every day. The young birds fly in flocks. The first few clear the lines but the others fly into them Sandy Ferguson

However, an NIE spokesperson said: "We have discussed this matter at length with Mr Ferguson and local councillors and they are fully aware of the costs involved and reason for the costs.

Mr Ferguson said it now looked as if they would have to find the money or "quit the pigeons".

"You can't put the pigeons through that kind of torture every day. The young birds fly in flocks. The first few clear the lines but the others fly into them.

"They break their wings, break their necks and sometimes get cut.

"If there's a breeze at all, that doesn't help and you can't let them out."

A spokesperson for the electricity company said NIE had met Mr Ferguson in 2005, and again in April this year to discuss this matter.

"Unfortunately there is no easy solution to this problem," the spokesperson said.

"Due to the height and voltage of the overhead line, NIE linesmen would have to erect scaffolding to fit the diverters safely.

"We would also have to take customers in the area off supply to carry out this work.

"If NIE failed to charge for alterations to the electricity network, the cost would be borne by customers across Northern Ireland."