Concerns that 'too clever' sparrows seen flying around supermarket could be a health risk

Health concerns have been raised after three sparrows who are proving “too clever” to be caught set up home inside Asda in Crawley, West Sussex. The birds have been spotted flying around the supermarket in the town centre, since Christmas. And despite the best efforts of staff, who have tried unsuccessfully to catch them with nets, the sparrows are refusing to budge. Customer Ellen Bonner and her mother Jan are worried that the animals could pose a risk to the public by contaminating food. Ellen, from Ifield, said: “I have seen them at least three times in the last month. Because I’m a chef I know about food hygiene and seeing them fly over the food counters and open food, I am concerned about cross contamination.

“I have seen feathers fall down on the food and I have seen the birds casually walk around on the shop floor.” The 19-year-old added: “Food can be contaminated with any diseases that the birds have, that can then make the customer seriously ill.” Ellen’s mother Jan last saw the sparrows on Monday evening. She has also seen feathers and bird poo on the floor near where customers can buy pizza, food from the deli and fresh fish. Jan said: “I told one staff member about the birds but she said they ‘haven’t got any’. I said ‘look down there’ and there were two birds. She was rather embarrassed.” The 58-year-old also saw different, larger birds in the store for “several months” last year.



“Last year they had quite large birds in there,” she said. “Staff told me they would have to get a hawk in to get the birds.” It is understood that the three sparrows are roosting in the roof of the store, with one source saying they are proving “too clever” at present to catch. They added that staff are trying to figure out the best way to humanly remove them from the shop. It is unclear how they have got into the supermarket. The source said: “Every Sunday our colleagues come in with a net on a pole and they walk up and down and try to catch them. But they are very clever.”

An Asda spokeswoman added: “There have been a couple of sparrows sighted in store that have been clever enough to find a warm building to hide out in during the recent bad weather. As soon as they were spotted, the store contacted the authorities to have them removed. Sparrows are a protected species so only certain methods can be used to capture and release them. The store is working with specialist animal control experts to catch the birds. In the meantime, their whereabouts are being closely monitored and customers can be assured there is no risk to food safety.” House sparrows are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it illegal to intentionally kill them or damage an active nest or its contents.