Fylde Council threaten widow Anne Seago, 97, with £100 fine for feeding birds in garden

Retired music teacher Anne Seago, who lives in Staining, has also been warned that she might be committing a 'criminal offence' if she continues to feed the birds.

Fylde Council has ordered Anne to cease the 'anti-social behaviour' or face a Community Protection Notice (CPN) and a £100 fine. If she fails to comply with a CPN – similar to an anti-social behaviour order – the pensioner risks criminal prosecution, the Council warned.

The same letter – a final warning – was sent to the widow's neighbours Ian Wright, 67, and his wife Kath, 66.

Mrs Seago, who has lived at her home in Staining since it was built in 1982, says one of her ‘pleasures in life’ is sitting in her conservatory and watching sparrows and robins eat seeds on her bird table.

Her son Allan, 77, branded the Council letter 'menacing' and told the Daily Mail he fears the stress of the situation could 'finish her off'.

But Fylde Council insisted it was acting correctly and 'hundreds' of birds had been spotted around the Seagos' and Wrights' homes when its officers went to investigate.

It added that it had received complaints from four neighbours about 'alleged excessive bird feeding' at the homes since 2016.

The authority said enforcement officers visited the street and witnessed “hundreds of pigeons in proximity to these properties, mostly on roof tops, with large amounts of food provide for them”.

It added: “This has led to the accumulation of bird feed, which has the potential to attract vermin and spread disease, and the build-up of bird faeces, which can cause nuisance and damage to property.”

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Seago said he is baffled by the Council’s claims about bird feed accumulating. “When I put it out, it's gone in seconds,” said Allan.

He added that he has not put any food out for three weeks after receiving the Council letter in the post.

Mr Seago added: “I don't believe the council's claim. At most there's been 50 or 60 pigeons but normally there's a couple of dozen at most. They don't nest round here.

“There's all sorts of birds who come to feed. There's even a heron knocking about. And we have no pigeon muck on our property which there would be if there were so many.

“I presume the council is thinking that if we stop feeding the pigeons they will go away but they've been here since the 1980s.

“I don't want them to be culled – they have a right to be here.”

Statement from Fylde Council

A spokesman for Fylde Council said: “We have been in receipt of complaints regarding alleged excessive bird feeding at two properties in Staining since 2016, from four different complainants, including from properties on different streets.

"Informal letters had been sent by Fylde Council in the past informing the occupants of these two properties that complaints had been received.

"Officers visited the properties on numerous occasions, most recently in 2023 and reported witnessing hundreds of pigeons in proximity to these properties, mostly on roof tops, with large amounts of food to be provided for them.

"This has led to the accumulation of bird feed, which has the potential to attract vermin and spread disease, and the build-up of bird faeces, which can cause nuisance and damage to property.

"Officers attempted on several occasions to make contact with the occupants of the two properties concerned. Contact could not be established with the occupants of one property, the occupants did not respond to written correspondence or requests for telephone contact.

"The Council issued Community Protection Warning (CPW) letters on November 10, 2023 to the occupants of the two properties, advising that the Council could consider issuing them with a Community Protection Notice (CPN) if the antisocial behaviour continues.

"The act of ‘putting out food for the purpose of attracting wild birds to feed’, in such a large amount on a regular basis has a detrimental effect on neighbouring residents, ‘birds roosting and defecating is a public health nuisance and has the potential to cause disease’.

"The Community Protection Warning (CPW) is not a legal notice it acts as a warning to cease the antisocial behaviour – in this instance, the placing of food within the curtilage of the relevant properties (including garages and outbuildings) for the purpose of attracting and feeding wild birds.

"If it continues the Council could consider serving a Community Protection Notice (CPN). Before issuing a CPN the local authority would have to be satisfied that that the conduct is having a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality, is unreasonable, and is persistent.

"Failure to comply with a CPN is a criminal offence. The council has acted in response to complaints from other residents in the neighbourhood.

“Incidents such as criminal damage, threatening behaviour, and physical violence are matters for the police. To our knowledge, any and all altercations involving physical violence or intimidation had already been logged with the police, with police log numbers being provided to the reporting parties.”