Pledge to tackle problem of 'excessive pigeon excrement'

Councillor Matt Edwards (Green, Tong), described the state of the M606 underpass at Mill Carr Road as “appalling” – saying the popular footpath is blighted by “pigeon mess” from birds sheltering under the bridge.

He said he has been trying to get the issue sorted for two years, with little luck, and had suggested netting be installed to stop the pigeons.

National Highways, the group responsible for the underpass, has confirmed to the Telegraph & Argus that work to tackle the issue will begin in October.

Cllr Edwards, leader of the Green Party in Bradford, said: “This should be a fairly straightforward job and I am genuinely at a loss why this is taking so long.

"National Highways have a budget that runs into billions of pounds and yet netting on a single underpass seems to require years of planning.

Some of the pigeon guano found at the underpass (Image: newsquest)

“The footpath that runs under the M606 is well used by parents taking their children to Woodlands Primary School and the last thing they need is to be navigating around pigeon mess on the pavements."

He described it as a "genuinely an unpleasant experience".

National Highways, formerly known as Highways England, is a Government-owned company responsible for maintaining and improving motorways in England.

Cllr Edwards has also raised the lack of ongoing litter collection along the length of the M606.

He said: “The litter, particularly on the southbound side of the carriageway, is appalling. I am told by National Highways they only attend to this twice a year which frankly is not good enough.

“There are families living very close to the motorway on Rockhill Lane as well as the popular Woodlands Country Park which is situated between the southern edge of Euroways and Lower Woodlands. Local people shouldn’t have to wade through litter coming from the motorway.”

When contacted by the T&A, National Highways Project Manager Richard Burgess said: “We’re aware of the situation with excessive pigeon excrement in the Mill Carr Hill Road underpass and we are also keen to see an end to this problem.

Some of the offending avians (Image: newsquest)

“We will be delivering a scheme for this bridge this autumn where we will be putting in place metal netting.

"This type of netting lasts longer than plastic and will help us to alleviate the issue as effectively and humanely as possible. We currently plan to install this netting during October half term.

“Before we install the netting, we will need to thoroughly clean out the underpass, carry out further checks on the structure and drainage and ensure any pigeons roosting in the structure are removed.

Some of the guano under the underpass (Image: newsquest)

“We’ll be in touch with our partners, councillors and parents of children at Woodlands Primary School to update them on any closures needed to carry out this work.”

Referring to the litter, they added: "In June we were alerted to a build-up of litter along the side of the M606, particularly at the southbound slip roads for junction 2, and litter picks have been carried out around this area during June and July."