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Pigeon fanciers face eviction by rail network body

BBC Pigeon fancier Paul Smith, standing in front of a pigeon loft on his allotment, wearing a dusty polo shirt, with his arms crossed.BBC
Paul Smith and his friend Mick Ready have been keeping pigeons for 15 years

Pigeon fanciers face being evicted from their allotment by the body that runs the UK's rail network.

Mick Ready and Paul Smith said their shared hobby of almost four decades was at risk because Network Rail wanted to close the site in Dunston, in Gateshead.

"A big part of our life is the upkeep of this loft and it feels as though it's just been taken away," Mr Ready said.

Network Rail (NR) said it needed to carry out improvement work on the land, which it owns, after complaints about health and safety issues.

Mr Ready and Mr Smith have been keeping pigeons in lofts on the site since 2009 but said they had been sent an eviction letter by NR last month, giving them six weeks to leave.

The allotments, which are on a railway embankment on Haig Street, have been blighted by anti-social behaviour and NR wants to clear vacant lots.

Pigeons sitting on the top of lofts with trees and open sky in the background and one bird flying off with something in its beak.
The pair now have about 100 birds, having sold some

Residents have also complained to the body about the condition of the lofts, with some posts on social media calling them an "eyesore".

Mr Smith said: "We understand more than most what's happened to the area.

"There's been fires and rats in the disused spaces, but we're good tenants."

The pair said they had not paid rent for two years after being told in an email it was no longer necessary, but had spent more than £6,000 renovating the space over the past 15 years.

When they received the eviction notice, they offered to buy the land to continue keeping their pigeons, but their offer was rejected, they said.

Wooden pigeon lofts, one white with slats and one brown, with a ladder leaning against the white one and birds sitting inside some of the cages.
The pair said they had spent thousands of pounds on the lofts over 15 years

Mr Ready said they had about 100 birds.

"We had more but, since the eviction letters came in, we’ve sold them on," he said.

"We've got nowhere else to go."

Mr Smith said it had been "devastating" to sell the birds, which they fly competitively in local tournaments.

"We've got Dutch Tumblers and Birmingham Rollers. We have nowhere to put them as all the other allotments are either full or don't allow livestock," he said.

Pigeon fancier Mick Ready standing in front of a pigeon loft on his allotment, wearing an orange hi viz coat with florescent stripes.
Mick Ready said he would be "gutted" if he had to sell his birds

NR said it was "aware of ongoing health and safety issues" on its land in Dunston.

"We are working with the local community to try and address this," a spokesperson said.

"We would like to thank residents for their continuous patience and understanding while we undertake the clearing work."

Pigeons, sitting on the roof of the pigeon lofts, which are wooden and covered with tarmac sheeting, with sky and trees in the background.
The pair said the birds were a big part of their lives

Mr Ready said he and his friend were asking for more time before they had to leave the site so they could find somewhere else to keep their birds, rather than sell them.

They would be "gutted" if they had to get rid of them all, he said.

"It would be a big part of our life gone."

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