An elderly woman has been threatened with a fine for feeding birds in her back garden.
Retired music teacher Anne Seago, 97, enjoyed sitting in her conversatory as birds such as wild sparrows and robins flocked to seeds she left on a bird table in her garden. But she now says she has been ordered to stop after a neighbour lodged an official complaint with the local council.
They claimed the birds circling the garden had caused a nuisance. It means Anne, from Staining near Blackpool, Lancs, has received a written warning from Fylde council saysing she could receive a “community protection notce” under the the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 if she continues feeding the birds.
The letter, The Telegraph reports, says ignoring the community protection notice is a criminal offence, which could land Anne with a £100 fine, with no further warnings set to be issued. Council chiefs say environmental health officers saw pigeons roosting on her roof.
The noticed states: “This is a written warning that Fylde council could issue you with a Community Protection Notice if you do not stop the anti-social behaviour described below.
“The anti-social behaviour is: putting out food for the purpose of attracting wild birds. This is a detriment because: this behaviour is unreasonable and is having a detrimental effect on neighbouring residents. Birds roosting and defecating is a public health nuisance and has the potential to cause disease.
“You must stop the anti-social behaviour described above immediately by: stop placing food within the curtilage of [your address] for the purpose of attracting and feeding wild birds. This also includes placing any feed within the garage/outbuilding with the intention of attracting wildlife inside.”
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Anne, who has lived her her bungalow for four decades, said: “I am stressed out. My blood pressure is up and it was perfect the last time.
“After all this began, I have started having problems with my hands and legs. I’m not saying all this has caused it, but I can’t be sure. I want to live to 100.”
Her son Alan, 77, whom she lives with, said: “The council letter is menacing. This will finish her off. If we get fined, we are prepared to go to court.”
Some residents in Anne’s street are supportive of her bird-watching, with neighbour Ian Wright saying the council is “bullying” the pensioner. He claims Anne is feeding birds left behind when a neighbour moved to Spain.
A Fylde council spokesman said it had been in receipt of complaints regarding alleged excessive bird feeding at two properties in Staining since 2016, from four different complainants, including from properties on different streets”.
The spokesman said: “Informal letters had been sent by Fylde council in the past informing the occupants of these two properties that complaints had been received.
“Officers visited the properties on numerous occasions, most recently this year, and reported witnessing hundreds of pigeons in proximity to these properties, mostly on roof tops, with large amounts of food to be provided for them.
“This has led to the accumulation of bird feed, which has the potential to attract vermin and spread disease, and the build-up of bird faeces, which can cause nuisance and damage to property.”
The authority said it had attempted to contact two houses before written warnings were issued.
