Fines considered for people who feed pigeons

People who feed wild birds including pigeons in Boston town centre could be fined.

If approved by Boston Borough Council's cabinet, those caught feeding birds in designated areas would face a £100 fixed penalty notice.

The authority said the number of birds was making Boston look “dirty and unkempt”.

It said 86% of respondents to a public consultation on the matter supported the council taking enforcement action.

On Thursday, councillors discussed extending its Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to enable enforcement action against people feeding birds in the marketplace, South Street, around The Stump, Strait Bargate, part of Wide Bargate, the War Memorial and the Garden of Remembrance, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor Callum Butler said birds in the town cause a number of problems: “These include damage to buildings, making our town street furniture dirty and unkempt, and also causing a wider health issue with the sheer volume of faeces.”

Councillor Patricia Marson said officers should be “as lenient as they can be”, with issuing fines.

She added: “I don’t want to see old Doris, who’s 89 years old, getting a £100 fine for throwing a bit of bread to a pigeon.”

Of 222 people who responded to a public consultation between May and July, 82% believed there was an issue with bird feeding and 86% supported the council taking enforcement action against those feeding the birds.

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