Two women say their lives are being made a misery by hundreds of pigeons who have been attracted to solar roof panels. They say the birds are nesting and causing havoc at their homes.
Jane Rice and Janet Holland say the flapping birds are ruining their lives ever since solar panels were installed at the social housing scheme where they live. The panels have been laid on roofs of homes on the street during the coronavirus pandemic.
The birds are being such a nuisance that Miss Rice said she has been forced to move bedrooms so she can sleep at night. It is commonly known that pigeons are attracted to roof solar panels because of the warmth they can provide. This makes it an ideal place for them to nest and stay for long periods, Derbyshire Live reports.
However, this is leading to pigeon excrement falling everywhere near the two homes in Derby and therefore causing a potential health risk to Miss Rice and Mrs Holland. Breathing in the gases that come from bird droppings can cause diseases in humans. It is understood the pigeons are also causing damage to the guttering of their homes by pecking on them. This means when heavy rain falls there is constant dripping onto the pathway near the front door of Miss Rice’s home.
Even a Google Maps bird’s-eye view of their properties shows a long row of pigeons sitting by the solar panels. There are parts of the guttering that appear to be overgrown with grass due to the pigeons nesting there. Both residents have urged Places For People, which runs the social housing scheme, to take action and do something to prevent the problem. But despite their constant complaints, they say nothing appears to get done, leaving them to suffer more issues and frustration.
Miss Rice, 48, who works as a construction trainer, said: “During Covid they brought in the solar panels and in turn pigeons are coming – hundreds of them. The pigeons are nesting underneath the solar panels. There are more pigeons here than the River Gardens. There’s loads of pigeon excrement and feathers – it’s all over the place and it is getting ridiculous. The pigeons are nesting underneath the solar panels.
“My guttering has been broken (by the pigeons) and when it rains it is causing a drip, drip, drip on my windows and my front pathway. This is causing noise and mould issues. I’ve had to move bedrooms because I can’t sleep. It’s getting worse.
“All I want is for them to put some mesh around the panels to stop the pigeons coming and mend my guttering but they still haven’t done anything. I’ve sent pictures, emails and everything but I’m stuck at a dead end. I’m getting empty promises.” The problems have been ongoing all year but it was worse during the summer. Mrs Holland, who lives just a few doors down from Miss Rice, says she is getting fed up with the situation too.
She said: “There are about 50 or 60 pigeons a day. The housing firm say I’ve got to sort it and go up the roof. I’m 65 years old. I couldn’t have any of my windows open all summer because the faeces were just dropping constantly. The stench is horrible. I think they need spikes on the roof to stop this. I pay lots of money to rent this property. It is not good enough.”
Places For People has been approached for comment.
