ROGUE-pigeon feeders are being warned they face a £75 fine for littering in a new crackdown on the nuisance birds.

Posters have been placed in Blackburn’s bus station in a bid to tackle the problem of pigeon feeders encouraging birds to the area.

And bosses have warned anyone dropping bread or other food for the birds will fall foul of the council's litter enforcement team which patrols the area.

Blackburn with Darwen Council chiefs have put the notices up which read: “Polite notice. Please do not feed the pigeon.”

Borough environment boss Cllr Jim Smith said the pigeons are leaving droppings which attract rats and is not good for the town.

He said: “Pigeons are vermin and giving them food attracts more of them.

“The problem is they’re leaving poo everywhere which is attracting rats.

“We’ve had a problem with people feeding them.

“These are nice mainly elderly people who have good intentions but it’s causing a problem as you will then get pigeons congregating around the bus station.

“So we’ve decided to put up notices in the bus station to try to tackle the problem.”

Cllr Smith warned that people who throw food on the floor for pigeons will be given council-style enforcement fines.

The borough introduced £75 fines for dropping cigarette butts and rubbish on the streets in October 2017, with Kingdom Environmental Enforcement running the scheme.

And Cllr Smith said that people dropping food for pigeons will be fined.

He said: “Dropping bread on the floor for pigeons is littering.

“The Kingdom scheme has been successful since it was introduced in making the town a cleaner place and we want this to continue.”

People have noticed a pigeon problem also around the bus station.

Amin Patel, who works at H&H News in the bus station, added: “Pigeons will come inside the bus station when the doors open. They keep getting shooed away. People accidentally drop a crisp and the pigeons will be there. It’s been going on for a few months now.”

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Adam Baker, of Fawcett Close, Blackburn, said: “You get pigeons coming into the bus station all the time and see people feeding them. It’s very off-putting for passengers.”

Shopper Barbara Watson, of St James Road, Blackburn, said: “Pigeons are a problem everywhere, including in the bus station. We need a falcon to deter the pigeons.”