Northern asks customers to help with pigeon problem after it trials fake owls and 'fire gel'

The train operator said it is locked in a long-running battle with the birds, which nest at stations and cause problems with their hazardous and corrosive droppings.

People have been seen feeding pigeons at stations including Manchester Victoria, Castleford (West Yorkshire) and Bingley (West Yorkshire) in recent months and this has caused more to flock there. 

Northern is urging people to refrain from feeding the birds and make sure they don’t leave any unwanted food lying around on the platforms.

The operator has trialled a number of measures to keep the birds away and it installed plastic owls at Morpeth station in Northumberland as part of a trial last year.

Pre-recorded hawk noises were also played out of speakers at Driffield station in East Yorkshire and the roof was smeared with ‘fire gel’, which appears to the pigeon as ultraviolet light and tricks them into thinking the surface is too hot to land on. 

But Northern was forced to return to the drawing board as the brazen pigeons kept flocking to both stations and nesting.

Spikes and netting have proved to be more effective in recent years. They prevent the birds from perching and nesting in certain areas, but do not harm them.

However, these measures have not solved the pest problem as some of the pigeons have moved on to other parts of the station.

Matt Rice, Northern’s chief operating officer, said: “We know the vast majority of our customers do not want to be bothered by pigeons at our stations, so we have looked into several humane ways of keeping these stubborn birds away.

“We’re urging customers to help us deal with this pest problem by making sure they don’t feed any of the pigeons or leave food lying around.”

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.