POSTERS urging people to stop feeding pigeons are to be put up in Colne town centre.

Complaints have been made about people feeding the birds which has caused problems with rubbish being left behind and an increase in pigeon droppings.

Now posters and leaflets are to be made asking people to think twice before feeding them.

Colne councillor Dorothy Lord said: “People are coming up with loaves of bread and sitting down on their phones and throwing the bread out to the pigeons.

“People are just trying to be kind but they are wild birds, they don’t need feeding.

“It is causing problems with the amount of pigeons in the town centre. There is also the risk of a rat infestation with the bread left behind on the streets.

“The extra pigeon muck is not nice for people in the town centre and it means the area has to be jet washed to clean it up.”

The issue was recently discussed by Colne councillors and they have asked the council’s localities team to design posters and leaflets.

Coun Lord said: “We can only ask people not to feed them, we will explain the negative side of feeding pigeons on the leaflets and posters.

“It’s not a nice experience for people in the town centre when there are so many pigeons about. We’re not taking thousands of pigeons but they do breed very quickly so we soon could be.

“We had a big family of pigeons at Shackleton Hall before that was redeveloped, and now they seem to have all moved into the town centre.”