Volunteers' plea to help pigeons suffering at station

Concerns have been raised about the welfare of the pigeons which roost above the platforms at Nottingham station

- By JOEL MOORE

VOLUNTEERS have been denied permission to help “suffering” birds at Nottingham railway station.

Concerns have been raised about the welfare of the animals which roost above the platforms, with many appearing to have ‘stringfoot’ - an often debilitating buildup of material on their feet.

Volunteers and a bird rescue charity have asked East Midlands Railway (EMR), the station’s operator, for permission to help the pigeons, but have been denied on safety grounds.

One of those volunteers, Victoria Birkett, said she had seen birds across the station “suffering and struggling to walk” The 63-year-old, from Colwick, spotted at least a dozen pigeons with stringfoot, three or four of which were “particularly bad”