Ventnor mayor, Cllr Steve Stubbings, with a Harris hawk, at the Isle of Wight Owl and Falconry Centre. Picture by Chris Thwaites.
A PIGEON pest problem in Ventnor town centre could be solved with the introduction of their feathery foe, the hawk.
Shop owners in the High Street are fed up with scrubbing pigeon droppings from the pavements outside their shops and want to see the large and growing population driven away.
Ventnor town councillors agreed to employ John Owen, who runs the Isle of Wight Owl and Falconry Centre, in Wroxall, to use his hawks to do a sweep for a six-week trial. It will cost £300.
Ventnor mayor, Cllr Steve Stubbings, who made the proposal, said: "The increased pigeon population in Ventnor is causing considerable consternation in the town and it is a potential health risk to the public.
"To see the hawks carry out a series of flights around the town would make some spectacle for the public — potentially being useful in the removal of pigeons or in getting them to perhaps move on to Niton, or elsewhere."
Reporter: jonm@iwcpmail.co.uk