A THREATENED cull of more than 100 pigeons looks likely to be cancelled after an experiment in using non-lethal methods to control the problem proved a success.

Councillors have now bowed to pressure from protestors across the country, and have brought in other ways of controlling the birds that plague shoppers in Stanley.

The latest evidence suggests that a public information campaign not to feed the birds, and more regular cleaning, have successfully reduced numbers in the town centre.

That means the cull, which councillors on Derwentside District Council originally agreed to, following complaints about the birds swooping over shoppers, and leaving a mess on the streets, looks highly unlikely to happen.

Following the original decision, animal rights protestors held a candlelit vigil, presented the authority with a 1,400-name petition and bombarded it with letters and e-mails from all parts of the country.

Now, members of the Save Our Pigeons campaign group and the charity the Pigeon Control Advisory Service (Picas) which advised the council, say the new strategy has worked.

A Save Our Pigeons spokesman said that even taking into account the seasonal fluctuation of bird numbers, there appears to have been a genuine reduction.

The council distributed more than 2,000 posters around the town pleading with the public not to feed the birds.

The authority also took steps to reduce the amount of commercial waste, and contacted property owners around the town centre asking them to deal with their rubbish more effectively. Street cleaning in Stanley was also upgraded.

Guy Merchant of Picas congratulated the council on its policy.

He said: "The authority have shown themselves to be a forward-thinking council on this issue.

"In my opinion they have produced the best educational leaflet in relation to pigeons of any local authority in the UK that we have dealt with.

"It clearly explains why people should not feed the pigeons and addresses the common misconception that the pigeons will die if they are not fed.

"The birds will simply not breed if there isn't the food available and in turn flock size will reduce dramatically."

Picas had warned the council that the cull would be illegal if all other methods of control were not tried first.