ANIMAL rights protestors yesterday re-enacted the shooting of pigeons at a North-East bus depot.

If follows an incident last week at the Go North East bus depot in Chester Road, Stanley, County Durham. Sick of being plagued by pigeons, bus workers brought air rifles to work and shot several birds.

Members of North-East group Save Our Pigeons yesterday recreated the scene in a piece of street theatre.

Campaigner Diane Sanderson arrived dressed as a giant pigeon and was symbolically shot by a fake rifle-wielding Go North East worker.

Ms Sanderson said: "Killing the pigeons is cruel, unnecessary and it simply doesn't work.

"Incidents like this probably happen on quite a routine basis around the country. But in this instance, it has been witnessed and brought to the public's attention."

Go North East has admitted that an unauthorised cull had taken place.

A company spokesman said: "We have employed a professional company on a contract basis to look at pest control, and they will try all non-lethal methods. Whatever happened at Stanley won't happen again. Obviously we have a problem there, so it will be top of the list for the contractors."