Northern trials fake owls and fire gels and seeks customer help with 'pigeon problem'

Northern, which runs services through Ilkeston* Railway Station, is asking customer using its network to stop feeding pigeons who have staged coos at some of its stations.

The train operator said it is locked in a long-running battle with the birds, which nest at stations and cause problems with their hazardous and corrosive droppings.

People have been seen feeding pigeons at various stations on its network in recent months and this has caused more to flock there. 

Northern is urging people to refrain from feeding the birds and make sure they don’t leave any unwanted food lying around on the platforms.

The operator has trialled a number of measures to keep the birds away and it installed plastic owls at one station in the north as part of a trial last year.

Pre-recorded hawk noises were also played out of speakers at one of its stations in East Yorkshire and the roof was smeared with ‘fire gel’, which appears to the pigeon as ultraviolet light and tricks them into thinking the surface is too hot to land on. But Northern was forced to return to the drawing board as the brazen pigeons kept flocking to both stations and nesting.

Spikes and netting have proved to be more effective in recent years. They prevent the birds from perching and nesting in certain areas, but do not harm them.

However, these measures have not solved the pest problem as some of the pigeons have moved on to other parts of the station.

Matt Rice, Northern’s chief operating officer, said: “We know the vast majority of our customers do not want to be bothered by pigeons at our stations, so we have looked into several humane ways of keeping these stubborn birds away.

“We’re urging customers to help us deal with this pest problem by making sure they don’t feed any of the pigeons or leave food lying around.”

* Ilkeston Railway Station is not managed by Northern.