A block of flats in Edinburgh has sparked health concerns as pigeons have 'taken over'.
Catherine 'Cat' Humphrey, 36, moved from Newcastle to Muirhouse in April and lives in May Court with her husband Harry, 37, and two-year-old Ashton. While she appreciates the concrete block has undergone a huge refurbishment, she has been left disgusted with the amount of mess from birds roosting.
She said the lack of pigeon-proofing has led to the residents being concerned about their health as a 'massive, thick build up' of droppings is covering the landing.
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Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Cat, a care coordinator, explained that over the last few months, pigeons have been nesting near the lift and in the landing. She explained how the stairwell and balcony are covered in bird droppings and flies are congregating around dead pigeons.
She said: "I feel these buildings are overlooked and misjudged. There is a strong sense of community here and I am doing this on behalf of all of the other residents in the building. Many have health issues, are elderly, or have small children.
"The conditions are unsanitary and a health risk. Some residents are even buying their own cleaning products in an attempt to keep on top of the problem but the impact of us cleaning it ourselves is short-lived."
Cat explained that she is mainly concerned for her and her family's health after it was reported that pigeon droppings were a contributing factor to an infection that led to a child's death in 2019 in Glasgow.
"I think it might get to the point where we will all have to wear masks. Sometimes when we go out there's been times where my boy has a little fall on the way out and I have to go back in and wash him - it's just everywhere. It's just a massive, thick build-up.
"My neighbour's daughter has a compromised immune system too, so it's just dangerous to be around because of the toxins that could be in it.
"The smell is awful, especially in this heat. When my husband went to take a picture of the nests and mess, he stood on something and that's when we saw all the dead pigeons. There are flies everywhere."
As HSE states, bird droppings can be contaminated and if the dust is inhaled by humans, it can lead to a number of diseases including psittacosis and salmonella.
Psittacosis symptoms are commonly a flu-like illness and pneumonia usually appearing five to 19 days after exposure. Catherine noticed she had a blocked nose and sinuses and a lingering cough for the last month. She has tested negative for Covid.
Cat continued: "It makes me feel a little depressed to be honest. In this area, it's not like there's many places the kids can go and play so to not even have the landing and balcony safe because of all the mess is really sad," the mum added.
"Loads of money went into the building and it has been recently refurbished. The buildings were immaculate, with new windows, new paint, new flooring, and insulation. It is such a shame that it is being ruined by pigeon droppings.
"People here have really tried to make their places homely and I think these blocks have a bad rep, people think the buildings are scruffy but they're not. There are people living here who take such good care of their properties and make their balcony look nice, people have spent money on things to make it a home. And it's literally getting pooped on!"
Due to the mess and smell, the mum admitted that she and her husband are considering moving and has said her neighbours are also thinking of packing up because they can no longer stand it.
She is also now looking into buying their own mesh to put near their flat to keep the pigeons away but that wouldn't cover the whole block.
Cat said: "I am hoping that in sharing this, it will create action from the council to clean out the dead birds and dropping permanently and put pigeon proofing measures in place to prevent this from reoccurring. Not in a period of months but quickly as this isn't something anyone should be expected to live with for a prolonged period of time."
Cllr Jane Meagher Housing Convener said: “I visited this housing and discussed the problem with pigeons earlier today (June 26) and sympathise with our tenants. Pigeon control is a historical issue in the area.
"We’re developing designs that will make it more difficult for them to gain access into the common areas of May and Gunnett. We’ll share these with residents as soon as they are ready and in the meantime the common areas will be cleaned.”
