The Wildlife Alliance has backed the methods used to clean up Chanterlands Avenue railway bridge, after residents raised concerns over the removal of pigeon nests
Hulls Chanterlands Avenue Railway Bridge(Image: Donna Clifford/Hull Live)
An animal welfare charity has waded in on the controversial bridge clean up work that set the cat among the pigeons among locals for its methods of getting rid of nesting birds.
Jen Quinn, who runs animal charity The Wildlife Alliance, spent four hours at Chanterlands Avenue railway bridge on Tuesday, working with pest controllers to determine that no birds were present when the cleaning took place. She said the clean-up was being handled “brilliantly” and the public has no reason to be concerned about the welfare of the birds.
Work began on Monday to clean up the bridge, following long-standing complaints of pigeons roosting and fouling on pedestrians. The work was carried out by Network Rail and contracted pest control agencies, supported by Hull City Council. Concerns were raised online about the methods used for the clean up, with rumours spreading of occupied nests being power washed to the ground. Residents took to local Facebook groups to question whether it was ethical to remove the birds at the height of their breeding season.
Speaking on Tuesday, Jen said: “I’ve been there a couple of hours with the guys that are putting up the gel deterrent. They took me underneath while they went up into the cherry picker and checked every nest.” She said nests were only removed once they were empty.
“Nobody’s done anything wrong. We have to remember they are a pest control company. The nests that were on the floor were empty nests. They took pictures before they removed them. They checked every square inch.
“When you get a bridge that’s heavily used by pigeons, there are maggots falling from the top of the bridge because of the heat. We all love pigeons, and they’ve done it really well. They’ve checked every inch, no babies have been affected.”
Workers put out a gel which is widely accepted as the most humane way of deterring birds from nesting in public spaces. It is popular in European cities that have problems with controlling where birds roost. The gel works by deterring adults from nesting by creating the illusion of fire.
“The adults won’t go there anymore because of this gel,” Jen said. “It isn’t harmful. The gel is in little pods that are placed periodically. What the birds see is fire, so they don’t land. It’s non-toxic, it doesn’t affect their feathers, it’s more to do with stopping them landing. Netting or culling could’ve happened, but they haven’t done that. They don’t want to hurt them, but they are causing a serious health risk. I think they’ve done it quite well and the guys were lovely. Doing what I do you can tell who is real and who is not when it comes to animals. But there is a place for pest control and they didn’t want anything to die.
“It’s been made into such a nasty thing. I think they did it specially so we could check the whole bridge before anything else happened. I think they have done everything brilliantly.”
Hull City Council said cleaning work has only been carried out on parts of the bridge that have been assessed to be clear of pigeons. A council spokesperson said: “We’ve been working with Network Rail, which is responsible for railway bridges, to arrange for cleaning works at the rail crossing at Chanterlands Avenue to tackle the long-standing problem of bird droppings. One side of the bridge has been previously assessed by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust as clear of pigeons and nests and so works have started on that side of the bridge. The other side is due to be assessed and work will not commence until it has been assessed as clear. We apologise for any distress caused.”
Reports of nests being jetwashed from the eaves of the bridge circulated on social media, leaving councillors in the Avenue and Bricknell wards to call for an immediate halt to the works. Liberal Democrat councillor for Avenues, Cllr Rhiannon Beeston, said on Tuesday: “I visited the site this morning. I’ve spoken to the Wildlife Alliance and local residents. I’m working with them, the contractors and the council to ensure any pigeons are safely removed.
“Whilst all Ward Councillors signed off the installation of a safe deterrent, there was no agreement to the jet washing of the bridge which has been reported. This isn’t ok and I’ve fed comments back to the council for explanation. As soon as I found out I asked for an urgent pause to the work.”
Independent councillor for Bricknell Peter North said Avenue and Bricknell Councillors have been “trying to address public health concerns over bird droppings caused by pigeons roosting in the bridge structure for years” and he was “very concerned” about reports of active nests being removed. “None of the councillors involved in contracting this work intended any harm to come to the birds,” he added. Labour Councillor for Bricknell Sharon Hofman said: “I would not approve any works to commence if I thought it posed a danger to the birds. Many residents have contacted me regarding the state of the bridge and I’m pleased that we have finally found a solution that is safe for the birds and the environment.”
Hull City Council confirmed the work will not continue until the rest of the bridge has been assessed to be clear of roosting birds. A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We’re working closely with Hull City Council to maintain the railway bridge over Chanterlands Avenue. We take our responsibilities for managing vegetation and wildlife on the railway very seriously and strive to ensure all work is carried out safely, legally and humanely.”
The Wildlife Alliance’s Hull and East Yorkshire group said it would take in any baby birds affected by the works, but no babies were found to have been displaced. In a Facebook post, the animal charity said: “All the pigeons will be kept safe, any nests with babies in will be coming to me and we will physically be there to make sure that happens.”
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