Patrick Keane

SCARE-TACTICS have been brought in to combat the pigeon nesting problems on the rooftops of Saint Matthew’s estate – in the form of a hawk.

The local housing office has been forced to take action against the growing problem of a pigeon infestation in the Highfields area.

Officials insist the bird of prey will not cause any harm to the pigeons, but instead is used to scatter and scare them off.

Sally Franklin, a local housing officer for the area, said: “I recently read an article about Stephen Sanders and the work he was doing at Leicester General Hospital.

“He was flying a Harris Hawk on a regular basis in the hospital grounds and this was a deterrent to the pigeons. He has only been here for a few days but already we are noticing a difference in the area.”

Stephen Saunders, an expert Falconer, has been brought in to scare the pigeons away. He is now working on the estate with the hawk after other successful work he has previously carried out.

The housing office hopes that this new scheme will prove to be effective, as the pigeon problem was becoming a growing concern within the local community.

Sally Franklin added: “The pigeons were an increasing problem on the estate. They have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to the properties. The damage that pigeons can cause is when they attract vermin into the roof space of the houses.

“Even though we encourage residents not to feed them it often falls on deaf ears.”

It is the hope of the local housing office that the Harris Hawk can continue to reduce the number of pigeons in the area, so that the roof tops of saint Matthew’s can improve hygienically.

For more information on the Hawk strategy in Saint Matthew’s contact 0116 295 5275.

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