SOME gentle persuasion may be the answer to the town's pigeon problem.

Councillors have given the mess the bird. But they want a humane solution.

On Thursday members of the borough's Environmental Health Committee will discuss a plan for control put forward by advisory service PICAS.

This involves luring the birds and their fanciers who feed them away from the town centre.

When new roosting sites are established eggs can be removed to prevent a 'baby-boom'.

The problem has hit both town centres in the borough and a report has already been made on the situation at Crewe.

There PICAS experts have found that the pigeon population is 50 per cent above the average for similar size towns. They estimate there are in the region of 250-300 birds forming three flocks. One persistant feeder could sustain all of them.

They advise establishing new authorised feeding places away from the town centres and restricting the seed and bread throwers to these.

Before any decision is made on control methods there is to be a pigeon count.

The measures could cost around £2,000.

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