Council bill for ridding the streets of pigeons and gulls doubles to £1million in just three years

Biggest bird control spender was Southwark, spending £393,000 since 2013

Amount spent by councils rose from £452,000 in 2014 to £830,000 last year

Bird control methods include pigeon-proofing buildings to using marksmen

Spending also covered clearing up pigeon guano and removing dead ones 

By Jim Norton for the Daily Mail

Published: 00:05, 18 February 2017 | Updated: 00:29, 18 February 2017

Council spending on ridding the streets of pigeons and gulls has doubled to almost £1million over the past three years.

The biggest spender on bird control was the London Borough of Southwark, which has shelled out £393,000 since 2013.

The amount spent by English councils on bird control surged from £452,000 in 2014 to £830,000 last year, statistics obtained through Freedom of Information requests show.

The bird control methods used ranged from pigeon-proofing buildings to employing marksmen or hawks to kill the pests. The spending also covered clearing up pigeon guano and removing dead ones.

The British Pest Control Association suggested the increase could be due to the growing awareness of public health risks associated with the birds.

But they added that some methods, such as pigeon-proofing, simply moved problems on to another building or area.

The figures come two years after then Prime Minister David Cameron called for a 'big conversation' about seagulls following attacks on a dog and a tortoise in Cornwall.

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