Nearly £10,000 is being spent cleaning up a dingy, pigeon-infested railway bridge in Leicester.
The city council wants to clear the birds out of the bridge over All Saints Road as part of its Waterside regeneration scheme.
Councillors have said the bridge, as it is, make the area feel unsafe, because it is poorly lit.
Councillor Patrick Kitterick said: “The one area that does hold it back is the All Saints Bridge.
“It just doesn’t feel safe when you go down there at the moment.
“The bridge over All Saints Road is like permanent midnight.
“It is also a pigeon sanctuary with the unpleasantness that brings.”
Messy
David Beale, the council’s senior development manager for Waterside, said work was imminent to sort out the grotspot.
He said: “This is a key gateway into the Waterside regeneration area, so we want to ensure it creates a good impression and encourages further private investment in the area.
“Because this bridge used to carry trains, there are more than 20 steel beams spanning it underneath.
“Each of these beams has two ledges, which makes a lot of roosting space for pigeons.
“We’ve appointed a contractor to clear up the pigeon mess and glue spikes along these beams – it will be more than kilometre of spikes in total.
“The contract value is around £9,000 and will also include cleaning the walls under the bridge, which are white glazed brick. This will lighten up the area considerably.
“We’ll also talk to our lighting team to see if we can improve lighting under the bridge.”
One person who works near the bridge said: “It’s totally grim but then again it is a railway bridge and you’ll never make it a thing of beauty.
“I reckon it is home to every pigeon in Leicester. It’s streaked with muck and I try to avoid walking through under there because there’s not much chance of avoiding a showering.”
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