Man unhappy about being repeatedly pooed on by pigeons

A Plymouth man says he can no longer go in his back garden because bird poo is constantly raining down. Angry Daniel Norman is plagued by pigeons roosting in a derelict building next door. The 25-year-old is now demanding council chiefs board up the old pool hall which has become home to dozens of birds. Mr Norman lives behind the former Pot Black building in Devonport which has been left severely dilapidated for almost a decade after a fire ravaged it nine years ago. He says pigeons have been nesting in the grade II listed property, which is now in the hands of Plymouth City Council (PCC), and constantly drop their faeces in his garden meaning he cannot hang his washing out to dry. He has to use the tumble dryer even on warm summer days, sending his electricity bill through the roof.



Mr Norman lives in social housing owned by Sanctuary Housing but claims the housing association says it can’t do anything to rectify the problem. “I’ve been fighting this case for the last five years,” he said. “Because the building is not boarded up, the pigeons are going in there and roosting. If it was boarded up, it wouldn’t be an issue. But that seems to be too much to ask.” Mr Norman contacted the council and an inspector from environmental health visited his property offering to send a team “every week” to clean up the mess – but made no offer to board-up the windows. “For a single bloke, I should be using no more than £10 to £15 a week on electric but sometimes I’m getting bills for £30 a week,” added Mr Norman.

“I’m not even home that much, what with work and everything else.” In July, Plymouth City Council pushed through a compulsory purchase order to take responsibility for the sale of the building, previously belonging to the Mechanics Institute. Councillor Chris Penberthy, who is responsible for housing, said at the time that the interior was in a “filthy state” and inhabited by breeding pigeons who were “making a mess everywhere”. Since the order, which was not contested by the owner, went through, it is now the council’s responsibility to maintain the building which is of “historic interest” according to Cllr Penberthy. A Plymouth City Council spokeswoman said: “We are currently in the process of an enforced sale action under the Law of Property Act 1925.



“This process works in the same way as a mortgage company selling a property to recover mortgage arrears. This means that the council does not take ownership of the property, but it gives us the ability to sell it. We understand the frustrations of local residents over the state of the building which is why after repeated requests to the owners to sort out the building we took tough action. Whilst the sale is going through we will review the current situation of the building to see if there are any additional steps we can take to secure the building.” A spokesperson from Sanctuary Housing said: “We sympathise with those living nearby and have repeatedly arranged for the garden to be cleaned. Our contractors also attempted to clear the area earlier this month, and we are speaking to Mr Norman in order to arrange an appointment so that the work can be carried out.”