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A wildlife lover has called on the authorities to tackle a Widnes town centre bandstand blighted by bird faeces and which he alleged is a death trap for baby pigeons.

The resident, who asked to remain anonymous because of his job which involves working with animals, said the structure on Albert Road should be fitted with wooden planks to prevent birds from nesting and ‘defecating over the beautiful gazebo’.

He said that not only is the faeces an eyesore, but he added that young pigeons can often be found dead on the ground beneath the ledge where the creatures make their homes.

What makes it more heartbreaking, he said, is that the pigeons that nest there are a couple.

The spot makes the nest within reach of yobs who may want to grab at the birds, he said.

When the Weekly News visited the gazebo on Tuesday, the metal columns supporting the structure were spattered by guano and a bloodied pigeon feather was perched beneath the roof.

The reader said Halton Borough Council and the RSPCA are not interested because pigeons are seen as ‘vermin’ – a reputation and stigma the resident objected to.

He said: “I’m an animal lover. I worked on bird sanctuaries for decades.

“The problem with this gazebo is there’s a ledge that all the way around and this particular pigeon has chosen to nest there repeatedly.

“You can’t catch disease off them – it’s a myth, unless you’re in a phone booth with for two days with pigeons flapping their wings, you’ll get a respiratory infection.

“They’re really rock doves from the mountains of Turkey. Our ancestors found them on the mountains of Turkey and put them on boats and brought them here.

“Their babies are always born in twos and because it’s a ledge they just stretch and flop over and fall and plummet this ‘10-storey’ drop.

“It’s not unusual to find a carcass or two.

He added: “All it would take is a piece of wood, all around, and problem solved.”

A Halton Council spokeswoman said: “We are aware of issues with pigeons as they are a problem.

“The council does put up protective mesh, etc but often pigeons find a way round it.

“People should not encourage pigeons by feeding them.”