§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's estimate is of the cost to(a) local authorities, (b) train operating companies and (c) Network Rail of cleaning costs relating to the presence of birds on railway property in the last 12 months. [99774]
§ Mr. JamiesonMy Department has made no such estimate.
§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport who is responsible for(a) erecting netting, (b) erecting deterrents and (c) cleaning costs, relating to the presence of birds on railway property, with specific reference to bridges over public highways. [99775]
§ Mr. JamiesonNetwork Rail advises that it is under no statutory duty to prevent the fouling of its structures by pigeons or other birds; and that it falls to the local highway authority to maintain the public footways and highways under the company's bridges. In specific cases of the establishment of a statutory nuisance under one of its bridges, the costs of pigeon proofing the structure and cleaning the public footway may be shared equally by agreement between Network Rail and the local authority. The company seeks to work with local authorities to tackle pigeon nuisance and to assess alternative pigeon deterrents to netting.