AN influx of pigeons is causing problems for the Farnham in Bloom team.
"These feathered vandals are increasing in numbers rapidly, as they breed non-stop," says Madge Green, chairman of Farnham in Bloom.
"Their disgusting nesting habits are bringing many of our displays to a premature end, as spoiled boxes and baskets are having to be removed.
"This is particularly sad as, because of the heat this summer, we have had the worry and expense of a second round of daily watering and we are delighted that the flowers have stood up to the heat so well.
"The Town Council, and especially the Town Clerk, Pat Evans, have been most supportive over the extra cost and I thank them sincerely, as I thank our waterers, Ian and Steve Miller and Aaron Sykes, of Reflections, who have worked for us in this emergency with never a day off.
"It seems sad that so many once lovely boxes and baskets have been ruined by the pigeons. These birds not only soil their own nests – surely the only birds that do so? – but also the now thickly encrusted window ledges and immediate areas around them.
"I only wish the people who come into town every day to surreptitiously feed them would please desist and feed the garden birds at home instead.
"Do people not realise that pigeons bring the possibility of diseases which are transferable to humans? Rats too are encouraged to take up the corn and other feed. An official notice in the Woolmead saying 'Do not feed the pigeons – rats in area' has been pulled down.
"I would also draw attention to the pigeons roosting in areas around the town, such as the Town Hall arcade and the yards and alleyways, where people and children walk and eat, as well as the now emptying spaces where our efforts to bring colour to the town are being ruined."