PIGEONS have become the talk of Caldicot town centre, with councillors aiming to crack down on residents and visitors feeding them.

Cllrs Jim Higginson and Frank Rowberry are calling for more support from Monmouthshire County Council to control the pigeon population.

In recent years the local authority’s environmental health department have installed posters around the town centre dissuading people from giving them food.

The council’s head of public protection David Jones said: “Monmouthshire’s environmental health team has liaised with the town council and shop owners to raise awareness of the difficulties caused by the number of pigeons in Caldicot’s shopping centre and give advice on appropriate measures to control the problem.

“Posters have been placed on local notice boards asking visitors and residents not to feed the pigeons.

“Our environmental health officers will approach any persons who are seen feeding the pigeons on a regular basis and will advise them of their responsibilities under littering laws.”

But Cllr Rowberry said he believes that more permanent measures need to be taken to combat what he called a “serious health and safety risk”.

“We’ve called for culls and a by-law to be put in place by the county council but we just keep getting knocked back,” he added.

Cllr Higginson says the council are aware that there are “certain individuals” who continue to feed the birds.

The county council chairman has also claimed that he was threatened outside one of the village’s eateries when he asked someone not to feed them.

A spokeswoman for London & Cambridge Properties (LCP), the property developers who own the majority of buildings in the town centre, said: “We are aware of the issue with pigeons, and we will be working with the town council and local authority to address the problem going forward.”