A mainland company has been given a £30,000 contract to shoo away pigeons from an Isle of Wight town hall and clean up the mess they have left behind, amid health fears.
The project to remove the ‘extensive’ pigeon infestation and years’ worth of excrement has already started at Sandown Town Hall, ahead of its £3.1 million regeneration into a youth centre and houses.
Safe access to Grade II listed building
It will ensure safe access to the Grade II listed building although the inaccessible loft will not be part of the clean-up – that will be tackled at the same time as repairs to the ceiling and roof.
With the building standing empty since 2017, when its last tenants moved out, between 30 and 50 pigeons have been able to get into the building and roam freely.
Pest control
Rentokil Pest Control in Crawley, West Sussex has been given £32,187 to remove the birds over the next few weeks, from the building in the heart of the town.
Any injured pigeons unable to leave on their own will be ‘humanely’ killed.
Gov cash
The Isle of Wight council has been given cash from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to deliver a new youth community programme, based at the town hall, which will help more than 200 young people a week.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
