© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
Feral pigeons are the part of the ecology of city life but their predators (Peregrine falcons) are few. Their numbers depend on food resources, breeding speed, living space and predation. Buildings with lots of shelter and nesting ledges, people feeding pigeons in the streets, a warm climate and absence of natural predators leads to an increasing population.
Every feral pigeon produces yearly around 12 kg of excrement. Large accumulations can contain disease organisms that affect humans (Salmonellosis, Tuberculosis, Q fever, Encephalitis, Meningitis etc.) and numerous parasites. These can attack humans, causing distress and occasionally transmitting infectious diseases. These include the Pigeon tick, the Red blood mite, Northern fowl mite and the Martin bug (a close relative of the Bed bug).
Health risks from pigeon excrement arises in other ways too. The most obvious but often overlooked is that is slippery when wet and can cause the old or infirm to slip over on fouled pavements. Prosecutions for negligence have been brought against Councils and Property owners who allow this fouling to build up and cause accidents.
The wet droppings are easily picked up on shoes and with their attendant organisms can be carried into areas which ought to be sterile such as shops, hospitals and restaurants.
When the excrement decays and breaks down, many of the bi-products are acidic and these can etch and eat into masonry and timberwork causing structural damage. This happens especially on outdoor ledges where periodic rain helps to leach these acids through into the underlying masonry.
There are a number of high profile locations, which have been affected by pigeon damage. Trafalgar Square is one of them. It was calculated that the annual cost for cleaning statuary was £14,000 and the annual cost for cleaning pavements was £90,893. This is why the Mayor took steps to ban their feeding.
For fouling removal and sterilising, Microbee has a system of pre-treatment with a combined bactericide and fungicide, and where necessary an insecticide. This is followed by collection, bagging and removal under a Waste Transfer Licence and then surface cleaning. After cleaning, the entire area is re-treated with the combined bactericide and fungicide, again ¯nishing with the insecticidal treatment where necessary.