A mainland company has been given a £30,000 contract to shoo away pigeons from the Sandown Town Hall building and clean up the mess they have left behind, amid health fears.
The project to remove the ‘extensive’ pigeon infestation and years’ worth of excrement has already started at Sandown Town Hall, ahead of its £3.1 million regeneration into a youth centre and houses.
It will ensure safe access to the Grade II listed building although the inaccessible loft will not be part of the clean-up – that will be tackled at the same time as repairs to the ceiling and roof.
With the building standing empty since 2017, when its last tenants moved out, between 30 and 50 pigeons have been able to get into the building and roam freely.
Rentokil Pest Control in Crawley, West Sussex has been given £32,187 to remove the birds over the next few weeks, from the building in the heart of the town. Any injured pigeons unable to leave on their own will be ‘humanely’ killed.
The Isle of Wight Council has been given cash from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to deliver a new youth community programme, based at the town hall, which will help more than 200 young people a week.
So around 30 pigeons at 32k
Around 1k per bird.?
I am no rocket scientist but I think they are being mugged off.
It is high time these overly numerous, disgusting, damaging, costly vermin were removed.
And I am talking about the Council, NOT the pigeons.
Alot out there needing to be doing unpaid work after convicted of crime, probation etc they should be forced to do.
£30,000 for few pigeons and bagging up waste?.
Many pigeon fanciers/racers have more. Anyone one to volunteer with me for £5,000 each (6) we could do in a few days. Need some masks, spade,ladder, disinfectant , strong bags and chicken wire .
That ship has obviously sailed you idiot. Furthermore, I doubt that the tendering process specified “village idiot with a spade and strong bags required”. I could be wrong but that is doubtful.
It’s us being mugged off.
Where there’s muck, there’s brass. Bit of a crappy job though.
It’s a shame that a mainland firm was awarded the contract, especially as the Island has capable people, such as Hillbans based in Cowes.
Retard islanders
Must be plenty of indigenous knuckle draggers who are only fit for shovelling sh*t from one place to another.
Island companies don’t seem to want jobs. They either quote and then don’t turn up, or they just don’t quote at all. A very poor work ethic.
100% correct, they are too busy drinking in pubs, then driving off
over the limit
Or they quote ludicrously high amounts. Most local tradesmen are swindlers and utterly incompetent.
I used to look after the Facilities side management for Somerfield on the island, island companies simply do not want the work.
We used to put out to tender contracts for pest removal, deep cleaning, electrical repairs / installations, plumbing jobs, shop fitting or plant repair and not once did an island firm submit a bid that was worthy of consideration.
Sorry there not insured to go up ladders!
£30,000 really. Jerk Jordan and Co. are throwing money around like confetti. Beyond belief.
How much??? I’ll do it for half!
Leave the birds alone. I wonder what the RSPB
would have to say about this.
Another shitty reason to raise our council tax . It’s us that are getting shit on
i wouldnt do it for 50k knowing how much mess has been cleared from a previous project and not to mention disposing of the waste ….shame that an Island firm didnt get the job though
Just throw a bag of birdseed on the ground, pigeons will
soon move, Job done for less than £5
What a waste! What a rip-off! Get a couple of peregrines.
Open the window and doors and get a falconer in there. 30 minutes and the site will be clear.
Few hundred quid.
Should never have been allowed to fall into such disrepair…
Then to add insult to injury, they give the contract to mainlanders ????,
Then cherry on top !!!!! We pay through our council tax!!!!!!!!!!
Apparently pigeons are not fond of lead.
you give a job like that to a islander and he will end up feeding them