Several years ago London waged a war on pigeons and put in place measures to control the pigeon population and eradicate London’s serious pigeon problem.
However, the measures put in place were not enough and London is still overrun by them. They are seen as the scourge of the city, spreading disease and depositing corrosive excrement causing damage to London’s landmarks. These flying rats continue to inflict more damage on London year on year.
In 2001 London’s Mayor Ken Livingston banned the sale of pigeon food in Trafalgar Square, along with Harris hawks to scare them away.
From these methods alone, pigeons have dropped from 4,000 to 120 within the Square and the cost of cleaning up the pigeon droppings has fallen dramatically, but the hawks are expensive costing upwards of £60,000 a year.
However, although Ken Livinston won the battle of Trafalgar Square the rest of London is plagued by pigeon problems. Not only do they destroy building’s, statues and monuments, their dried droppings contain spores which can spread disease including histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, and psittacosis. They are destroying our habitat and posing serious health problems to Londoners.
Pigeons in London have no fear of humans, growing accustomed to sharing the pavements with us.
AkeelJaffar runs HLA Pest Control in London. HLA Pest Control is London’s leading Pest Control Specialist, and is a member of the British Pest Control Association and winner of the National Pest Technician Association Awards. He says:
“I think it’s time we implement a humane extermination programme. In the meantime, we find that the most effective way of deterring pigeons is to fit netting and spikes on buildings and in balconies or windowsills. Pigeons not only cause damage to the structure and exterior of buildings, they also carry disease and pose serious health risks to humans. Other deterrents include making sure that all refuse is cleared up properly and that we don’t feed pigeons under any circumstances. The best advice we give is to call a professional to make sure you keep pigeons off your home or work property permanently.”
Notes to Editors
HLA is London’s leading pigeon problem specialist, a member of the British Pest Control Association and winner of the National Pest Technician Association Awards. To find out about how to get rid of pigeons in commercial or residential establishments click here. To find out more about how we will remove your pests for good with London’s most competitive prices and a one-hour response time click here
