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Canterbury taxi driver blasts Town & Country Housing after discovering pigeons nesting in Old Tannery corridor

A housing group has been accused of “consistent negligence” after tenants at a city apartment block discovered pigeons had set up home on the fourth floor.

A communal corridor at the Old Tannery development in Canterbury has been left covered in feathers and faeces since the birds started nesting.

Pigeons living in the corridor. Picture: Alex Claridge
Pigeons living in the corridor. Picture: Alex Claridge

Taxi driver Alex Claridge lives on the floor below, and was disgusted to encounter the unsavoury scene on Monday.

“I couldn’t believe it when I first saw them,” the 45-year-old said.

“There were half-a-dozen birds milling around at the end of the corridor.

“The whole area is covered with pigeon faeces and feathers.”

Mr Claridge says the incident is the latest failure on the part of Town & Country - the housing group which manages the block in Drying Shed Lane.

"There is a consistent pattern of negligence on Town & Country’s part for properly maintaining this part of The Old Tannery..."

He said: “It employs cleaners to clean the communal areas.

“They’ve knocked on my door before to threaten to dispose of the mat outside the front door because they say that it constitutes rubbish by being in the communal area - and yet they ignore the birds’ muck and pigeons living on the top floor.

“There is a consistent pattern of negligence on Town & Country’s part for properly maintaining this part of The Old Tannery.

“They refuse to have the recyclable rubbish from this block removed every fortnight as it should be, and instead it sits there for months at a time.

“The service we residents pay for is absolutely appalling and they should seriously consider refunding us the money we have been charged for the simple reason that the work we have paid for hasn’t been done.”

The block of flats is in Drying Shed Lane, Canterbury. Picture: Google Street View
The block of flats is in Drying Shed Lane, Canterbury. Picture: Google Street View

A Town & Country Housing spokesman says that despite requests for windows to be kept shut, a pigeon got into the building and made the nest, which cannot be disturbed.

They explained it laid two eggs, which have now fledged, and once they have flown the nest, the window will be closed and a deep clean carried out.

Responding to the claims about the rubbish, they said the city council is responsible for collections and will not dispose of recycling if it has been mixed with general waste.

“We encourage our residents to be mindful of what goes in their recycling bins to avoid a build-up of rubbish and extra work for our teams,” they said.

They added that Mr Claridge was asked to move his mat because it presented a trip hazard.

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