Turn culled pigeons into pigeon pie, says councillor 

Hundreds of pigeons set to be culled in a town could be used to make pies, a veteran Tory town councillor has claimed. 

Up to 600 pigeons roost in Royston and councillors have branded the massive mess left by the birds a serious menace for residents. Cllr F John Smith, 80, said the dead birds could provide a good source of food. He spoke out as Royston Town Council in Hertfordshire voted to ask business partnership Royston First to kill the pests and crack down on people feeding them. Cllr Smith, who quit as a district councillor in 2010 after 50 years, said: "When you use the word 'cull' it has a very negative effect on people but there is an advantage to this method. "I'm being perfectly serious that pigeon pie is not eaten as often as it used to be - in other words shot pigeons give us a food source. Up to 600 pigeons roost in Royston and councillors have branded the massive mess left by the birds a serious menace for residents. Town mayor Cllr Lindsay Davidson said pedestrians find pavements "risky" because "they are covered in muck". Officials have previously considered avian contraceptives and drafting in killer hawks. Fire gel that would fool birds into thinking roosting spots were ablaze was also looked at. Leader of the council, Bob Smith, said: "The problem with fire gel is that it would only repel them from wherever we put the gel and we can't smother the entire town in gel. "I'm sure a cull is the best option to get the flock down to a manageable size".