THE BIGGEST STORIES ACROSS BRISTOL IN YOUR INBOX SIGN UP Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

An official inquiry into why pigeons have been falling dead out of the sky earlier this summer near Bristol has concluded that their deaths are a mystery.

Dozens of pigeons were discovered dead on the ground in Wells over the summer, with reports that people saw them fall out of the sky.

One was even reported to have fallen onto a woman carrying a cup of coffee.

The dead birds were found all over England’s smallest city, prompting fears there was a pigeon poisoner on the loose.

But an official inquiry has failed to come up with a definitive answer to the cause of the sudden spate of pigeons dying mid-flight.

Somerset Live reported how the dead birds were found in High Street, the Union Street area and further afield, on roads, pavements and in people’s gardens.

One woman found three dead in her garden. Another was found on Wookey Hole Road.

Some of the birds were seen to drop out of the skies in the summer

As the birds showed no obvious signs of disease or injury, that led to speculation that poison of some sort might have been involved.

A number of different Government agencies have been involved in the investigation, with a long trail of inquiries.

First the matter was referred to Avon and Somerset police, who in turn passed it on to Natural England. They got the Animal and Plant Health Agency, APHA, to investigate and test for bird flu and the West Nile virus - but it was found to not be the cause.

With the cause not a potentially spreadable virus, the matter was passed on to the Health and Safety Executive, through the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme, and they carried out more toxicology tests to discover what the cause was.

But those tests have failed to come up with a definitive answer.

A spokesperson for the HSE, speaking ahead of the publication of the official report, said the cause of the deaths remains ‘unknown’.

“The findings can only be interpreted in relation to what was looked for, that is pesticides, and we are not in a position to comment or speculate on whether there may be possible involvement of other substances,” he said.

(Image: SWNS.com)

Former Wells mayor, councillor Celia Wride, who was among the first to raise the matter, told Somerset Live: “It is concerning that there is still no clearly defined cause for the death of so many pigeons in our small city.

“I read an article the other day in which a local resident pointed out that there seemed to be a lack of a ‘dawn chorus’ these days as well,” she added.

“It is a worrying time for our wildlife.”

An autopsy carried out voluntarily by Westfield Vets at the time had also proved ‘inconclusive’.

For the latest news in and around Bristol, check back on Bristol Live's homepage.