Residents of a town say their centre has been turned into a mess of bird poo due to all the seagulls and pigeons.<br /><br />And they say they can't understand why plans to introduce a hawk to scare off nuisance birds have been dropped.<br /><br />Ashford Borough Council (ABC) was preparing to bring in the bird of prey to combat the "growing number" of seagulls and pigeons in the area.<br /><br />But following a review of the idea, bosses at the authority say they now believe there is an "insufficient need" for the move.<br /><br />The u-turn has sparked anger among business owners in the council-owned Park Mall shopping centre, where pigeons nest in the roof above a number of shops.<br /><br />Vince Monticelli, owner of The Record Store in Park Mall, feels introducing a hawk would have improved the look of the town centre.<br /><br />“Pigeons and seagulls are only an issue for me in the impression it gives the customer,” he said.<br /><br />“You walk around and they are cooing above you. All the babies are squawking and then they could poo on you.<br /><br />“I think they are an issue and the council probably should’ve got the hawk. Kent County Council pays for a hawk at the tip on the Cobbs Wood Industrial Estate.”<br /><br />ABC, now run by an Ashford Independents/Green Party coalition, first discussed plans for the hawk in April last year and said the bird would be brought into the town centre on a weekly basis.<br /><br />They said a bird handler would walk around with the hawk on their arm, making an "interesting attraction" for shoppers who could see the bird up close.<br /><br />A trial was due to run over a four-month period to allow bosses to measure the difference, but the authority now says it is 'keeping the situation under review'.<br /><br />A spokesman said: "We have researched carefully and following consultation with relevant stakeholders and local businesses we believe at this time there is an insufficient need for a hawk service to be introduced to the town centre.” <br /><br />But Russell Geen, owner of The Little Teapot in Park Mall, thinks the bird of prey would have kept the town cleaner and help cut costs for the council.<br /><br />"I don’t see why they couldn't get it in for a couple of days a month,” he said.<br /><br />“Once pigeons and seagulls know there is a hawk here, they won’t bother coming back.<br /><br />"There is no netting in parts of Park Mall to deter them so they come here as they have shelter and food.<br /><br />“I would have thought getting a hawk in would be cheaper than running netting everywhere it needs to be. It would cost thousands.”<br /><br />But Connor Moon, a staff member at Simply Vape, next to Starbucks in the high street, says the birds are not causing any issues.<br /><br />“It wouldn’t be a good idea,” he said.<br /><br />“The birds don’t do us any harm, I’ve never noticed any bird mess on the windows of the shop.<br /><br />“They all gather outside the shop in the high street because people often sit and feed them.<br /><br />“If the council wants to reduce the number of birds here it could put signs up asking people not to feed them.”<br /><br />“Some people may be scared of a hawk.<br /><br />“Pigeons aren’t an issue and if a hawk was brought in, it could stop some people coming here altogether.”<br /><br />A member of staff at Park Mall-based Made in Ashford said: “We had problems with pigeons outside the shop a year ago but it’s not as bad now.<br /><br />“They might have moved somewhere else now so I don’t think a hawk is needed.”
