Pigeon poo problem prompts grant request from Chatteris playgroup

A pre-school with a pigeon problem has been told to provide more information after applying for a grant to help deal with the issue.

Councillors at last night’s Chatteris Town Council meeting discussed an application by the Peter Pan Playgroup, which meets at the King Edward Centre, for £350 towards the cost of putting up canopies under trees where pigeons roost.

Town clerk Jo Melton told members the playgroup has a problem with pigeons pooping on their outdoor play equipment making it difficult to keep it clean and safe for the children to enjoy.

They want to put up canopies under the trees to protect the play equipment and applied for a grant from the council towards the cost, which Cllr Victor Joyce said was likely to be around £7,000.

However, he said the problem with putting up canopies would mean they would need cleaning and pointed out they could pose a health and safety risk in high winds.

He said the King Edward Centre had tried to help the situation by putting up ‘spinners’ to try to deter the pigeons. They had also bought a fake owl stake, which is also supposed to scare birds away.

Cllr Matthew Siggee was concerned that if the canopy was not regularly cleaned then any pigeon droppings could cause it to rot.

He said: “Pigeon poo is quite acidic and will quite likely rot the canopy.”

Mayor Cllr Anne Hay questioned who would be responsible for maintaining the canopy, whether it would be down to the playgroup or the King Edward Centre.

Councillors also wanted to know whether the King Edward Centre were happy with the idea of having canopies put up.

It was eventually agreed to put the application back for more information before a decision was made on the grant request.