Pigeons are put down (From Barry And District News)

Pigeons are put down

HIGH Street residents and traders have seen a gruesome end to a battle over trapped pigeons.

A flock of birds trapped inside a derelict building have been killed by the RSPCA to avoid the problem spiralling out of control.

The birds had flown into the house and become stuck.

The owner, Keith Spence, who bought the property just over a year ago, had placed grills over two windows.

These were permanently stuck open in the hope that pigeons would be deterred from nesting inside.

His wife Sharon said: "We couldn't flush the nesting birds out of the shop, so took advice from the Pigeon Association.

"They suggested we install the grills and use a sort of pigeon flap to allow the birds inside to come out. Unfortunately, this didn't work and we had to have the remaining pigeons humanely removed on Tuesday."

A spokesman for the RSPCA said: "We received many calls from concerned members of public about this matter and contacted the owner.

"We visited the site and were satisfied that Mr Spence was acting responsibly."

But florist Shirley Hill from Spoilt for Choice said: "None of us like pigeons, but we didn't like seeing them trapped inside a building either. We wanted the RSPCA and the owner to do something about it sooner."

Montgomery Road resident Tina Bower added: "They were inside that property for nearly a fortnight and should never have been in there for so long.

"It was cruel. They should have been removed long before then."