WAR HAS been declared on Blackburn's feral pigeon population, with a council pledge to eradicate birds in the borough by every means possible.

Teams of officers will swoop on sites to trap and shoot the offending birds, which carry more diseases than rats.

The historic move comes after years of council tinkering with the problem, with few noticeable results.

Direct action will be backed by a poster and leaflet campaign to alert the public to health dangers.

All but a few members of the public services committee voted for a motion put by chairman Coun Nigel Nuttall, to instruct officers to immediately pursue a course of action with the aim of eradicating the borough's feral pigeon population in 'by all means possible.'

Coun Dave Smith urged: "The time has come for action. We have had too much shilly shallying. If we were talking about doing the same with rats, then nobody would have a problem with that."

Coun Frank Connor said pigeons were worse than rats when it came to carrying disease, and misplaced sentiment should not get in the way of public health.

But among the dissenters were Coun Karimeh Foster and Coun Sheila Williams, who said they could never vote for shooting and wanted a programme to educate the public against feeding the birds.

Coun Nuttall asked: "How would you feel if a child or elderly person slipped on pigeon muck and broke a leg?"

Coun Mike Barrett recounted an incident he saw when a toddler dropped an ice cream into bird excrement then picked it up and began to eat it. "The carer allowed the child to pick up the ice cream. The education aspect about pigeons is very important," he told members.

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