A "rogue" pigeon has forced a flagship £2.4 million Wetherspoons to temporarily close after dropping into the pub and so far efforts have failed to coax it down from the roof.
Attempts have been made to try and trap the pigeon by tempting it with bread but the cheeky bird has so far managed to grab the food and escape back up to the rafters in the The London and North Western pub, at New Street Station, in Birmingham.
The bird flew in shortly before lunchtime on Wednesday, November 30, and appears to have no intention of leaving making its home in the cavernous roof space, reported BirminghamLive.
Wetherspoon staff cleared the pub following the visit by the unwanted client and so far every attempt to capture it has failed and it remains in the industrial rafters of the open-plan ceiling area that is one of the design features of the building.
Named after the Victorian company, which ran services between London and Birmingham, the pub has two main entrances. There are double doors on the patio side overlooking Hill Street and the entrance at the top of the 'Spanish steps' down from New Street Station to Station Street is single door only.
A Wetherspoon spokesperson confirmed to BirminghamLive that an uninvited pigeon was in the building.
They said: "Our staff know this part of town very well and none of us have hardly ever seen a pigeon in this area before compared with other areas such as 'Pigeon Park' next to Birmingham Cathedral.
"It must have been a 'rogue' pigeon which had somehow got lost. This kind of situation is very unusual and we have done everything we could at first to try to persuade the bird to leave.
"The high ceiling has not helped trying to catch it. We haven't been ordered to close the pub but we took that decision immediately because the health of our customers is paramount.
"A specialist company is going to come to make sure the bird is removed and we will make sure there is a thorough clean of the premises. We anticipate to be fully open again for breakfast on Friday, December 2."
Notices on the doors of the pub said it was closed due to "an unforeseen circumstance" and "sorry for the inconvenience".
