"Don't feed the pigeons!": Northern urges customers to help them tackle bird poo
The rail company has tried using fake owls and special gel - in a bid to scare the pesky birds off
Northern Rail is urging people to stop feeding the pigeons across its network, with the pesky birds said to have staged 'coos' at some stations.
The rail operator, which serves much of Yorkshire, says its fought a 'long running' battle with flocks of the birds, which cause a mess and try to nest at stations.
The company has tried measures including plastic owls and 'fire gel', which tricks the pigeons into thinking surfaces are too hot to land on.
Pre-recorded hawk noises have also been trialled at Driffield station in East Yorkshire, while the travel operator has also installed more spikes and netting at its sites.
However, after a surge in the number of birds flocking to stations, Northern is now urging customers no to feed them and to refrain from dropping food onto the platforms.
People have been seen feeding the birds at Castleford and Bingley in West Yorkshire.
Matt Rice, Northern’s chief operating officer, said: “We know the vast majority of our customers do not want to be bothered by pigeons at our stations, so we have looked into several humane ways of keeping these stubborn birds away.
“We’re urging customers to help us deal with this pest problem by making sure they don’t feed any of the pigeons or leave food lying around.”
Northern manages around 500 stations across the North of England