Pigeon poo-covered 'blight' house transformed

A pigeon-infested, abandoned house covered in bird poo that was a "blight" on the local area has been transformed after the council stepped in and bought it.

The three-bed property on Gorse Road, Blackpool, had fallen into disrepair, with the pigeons risking exacerbating structural damage, the council said.

Blackpool Council said its empty properties team worked to enforce a sale to protect neighbours from further harm and to recover thousands in unpaid council tax.

Neighbour Veronica Flete said some children saw the house "as an exciting exploration site, posing dangers on so many levels", adding: "The house has now been renovated by a private developer and they have done a marvellous job."

Veronica had raised concerns with the council over the property's security and impact on the street.

"The property was causing a lot of issues - there were pigeons making a lot of noise and worse still, leaving a lot of pigeon muck."

She added: "It has recently been rented out to a young family and it is so nice to see lights on and life back in in the house.

"I feel much happier knowing the property is now lived in and cared for."

Councillor Paula Burdess, cabinet member for street scene, said: "As the before photos show, this house not only posed potential health issues but had become a real blight for the neighbourhood.

"Leaving it as it was, simply wasn't an option."

She added: "Understanding that, for various reasons, the landlord was unable to deal with the property, our teams stepped in.

"Where problem properties become a blight on neighbourhoods, we will use our powers to issue Charging Orders like this to seize abandoned properties, or Closure Orders to prevent anti-social behaviour, all to make our neighbourhoods safer."

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