Cleankill Pest Control has been helping to clean up the famous clock tower in Brighton’s Preston Park.
Pigeons had entered the Grade II listed tower through a broken stained-glass windows and had taken up residence. The work involved cleaning the pigeon mess and debris inside the tower and then installing mesh to stop the birds re-entering.
Cleankill Pest Control director Jon Whitehead said: “Fortunately the problem was spotted before a large number of pigeons started to use the tower. There was, however, enough guano to be hazardous to health.
“Pigeons carry diseases and nearly all pigeons carry bird mites – a tiny parasite that feeds off the bird and makes humans itch and scratch. Pigeon fouling and nest materials also provide a home for many other insects such as clothes moths, carpet beetle and mealworm beetles. When the pigeon fouling is dry it creates airborne bacteria affecting anybody that may be susceptible to asthma and other breathing difficulties, so it is very important that any mess is removed. All of the mess was removed under Waste Disposal Regulations 1994.”
The terracotta Clock Tower in Preston Park had its foundation stone laid in 1891 and had its formal unveiling ceremony on June 17, 1892.