St Neots: Residents told don't feed the birds

FEATHERED FOES: Residents of an Eynesbury housing development have been banned from feeding the birds – because food left out could be attracting vermin. Social landlord the Luminus Group sent the letters to residents of The Broadwalk after complaints abo

FEATHERED FOES: Residents of an Eynesbury housing development have been banned from feeding the birds - because food left out could be attracting vermin.

Social landlord the Luminus Group sent the letters to residents of The Broadwalk after complaints about leftovers being put out to feed birds during the winter.

A resident had also complained that they had slipped over on the food.

Resident Dave Pelbrough, 44, said he thought the warning from Luminus was excessive.

"I like to leave a bit of food out for the birds - the weather has been so cold recently that I think they need a little bit of help. It's unbelievable that Luminus have gone to the expense of sending letters to all of us."

He added: "It's not like the food is lying on the ground for long - the birds round here are pretty voracious. The bread is gone as soon as it's put out."

A statement for Luminus said that the company would be monitoring the situation.

It said: "Following reports from unhappy residents about the feeding of wild animals and birds, a site inspection was carried out and the inspection concluded that the feeding was attracting vermin to the area and creating a hazard, following a resident slipping on the food."

It added: "If a problem persists then we will seek the active involvement of Huntingdonshire District Council which has legal powers to deal with such matters. In an extreme situation this could lead to persistent offenders being in breach of their tenancy conditions, but we hope that, by working with them at a local level common sense and respect for their community will prevail.