Families have been left fuming after noticing that hundreds of pigeons a week have been nesting and causing havoc at their homes.
Two women, Jane Rice, 48, and Janet Holland, have been left angered, saying that the birds are 'ruining their lives'.
The pair, who live in Derby, say that the flapping birds have been causing mayhem since their social housing firm, Places For People, installed solar panels on the roofs of homes during the coronavirus pandemic.
In fact, the feathered creatures have become such a pain that Miss Rice says she has been forced to move to a different bedroom so she can sleep at night, reports Derbyshire Live.
The pigeons congregating around the homes are posing potential health risks to Miss Rice and Mrs Holland, as excrement has been falling everywhere near the properties.
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.
Both residents have since urged Places For People 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, 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’s 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."
She added: “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."
It is commonly known that pigeons are attracted to roof solar panels, because of the warmth they can provide. And this makes it an ideal place for them to nest and stay for long periods.
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, adding: “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.”
A Places for People spokesperson said: “We have been - and are - working with everyone on this street, including residents who are not our customers, for both ongoing maintenance and to deliver a long-term solution. For example, earlier this year we erected netting in an attempt to stop the birds nesting and we’re currently exploring looking at further options that work for all involved.
"We are committed to helping our customers during the cost of living crisis with things like their energy bills; we're also committed to reducing the carbon footprint of our communities so investing in solar panels is a good thing for now and for the future.
"We're sure that we will be able to resolve this inconvenience and obviously we're sorry that it has caused disturbance to some customers".
