THE CULL of pigeons squatting in parts of the Royal Gwent hospital has come to an end. The birds were proving to be a serious health hazard and hospital bosses decided they had to go.

Cages were placed on the roof to catch the birds before they were humanely culled under a government licence.

The scheme proved controversial and animal rights groups called for a non-lethal alternative.

A spokesman for the Gwent Healthcare Trust said the cull had been completed as planned and steps were being taken to stop other birds nesting.

Netting is being used to discourage the pigeons from moving back. A group called Picas had called on hospital bosses to end the cull and use other ways of reducing numbers.

The spokesman for the Trust said that the cull was not stopped as a result of pressure and that a trap still on the roof was no longer in use.