Making the point to pigeons: push off!
Mansfield District Council has taken steps to protect one of the town's most historic and recognisable public buildings from the perennial problem of pigeons.
700 square metres of netting has been fixed to the roof of the Old Town Hall in Mansfield Market Place to prevent the pigeons from nesting there.
The work has been carried out by the Mansfield building maintenance specialists Hi-Lift Access Solutions.
The droppings from the pigeons are acidic and can erode stonework resulting in the decay of historic buildings and expensive repair bill. Gutters and drainpipes can also become blocked causing flooding and needing costly repairs.
Mansfield's Old Town Hall was opened in 1837 and is reported to have caused a huge amount of public interest when the clock on the front of the building was illuminated for the first time in that year.
1.5 tonnes of pigeon droppings were removed from the building in the last year alone.
Councillor Kate Allsop, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration at commented: "I welcome the introduction of this netting."
"The Old Town Hall is one of Mansfield's most prominent public buildings and it is appropriate that Mansfield District Council is proactively taking steps under the Public Health Act to safeguard it and save the District's residents from an expensive repair bill."
As well as causing damage to buildings; pigeons and their droppings can be injurious to public health.
Although cases of illness resulting from pigeons are rare, they carry diseases which can prove fatal, including:
- Psittacosis, a type of pneumonia, which can kill.
- Candida Albicans which can cause skin diseases.
- Shigella species, which causes vomiting and diarrhoea.
- Ornithosis, a flu-like disease borne by birds.
- Chiamdiosis, a virus similar to influenza.
- Campylobacter coli, which may cause food poisoning.