Frustrated residents are demanding action after their village was taken over by a noisy family of randy – PEACOCKS.
Locals have signed a petition calling on the council to step in and remove the flock of more than 30 birds which are keeping them awake at night.
People who live in Ushaw Moor, in Durham, claim the noisy mating birds call at each from the rooftops of the estate’s homes at all hours.
Cars have also been scratched by the birds which attack their reflections and leave the pavement covered in green sticky excrement.
Graham Bridge, 55, who has launched the petition ‘Peacocks Making Villagers’ Life a Misery’ claims the birds belong to a nearby farm and numbers have recently increased.
But owners of Broomhall Farm claim they don’t own the birds – and they are simply wild.
Father-of-two Mr Bridge, a married financial worker, said: “I’ve seen 13 or 14 in my own garden at any one time.
“It’s a shame because they are beautiful birds. You would admire them if you saw them in a stately home or country estate, but they shouldn’t be wandering around a housing estate.
“The number one problem by a long way is sleep deprivation.
“Since I put up the petition a week last Friday I haven’t had a full nights’ sleep.
“The screeching is unbearable and once one starts, it sets them all off.
“Then there is the mess they leave. It’s not like normal animal poo – it’s green glue.”
Residents of the former mining village said the birds has been in the area since 2008, and complaints to the council started in 2010, after numbers increased this year.
They claim the birds come from nearby riding stables – but the stables owners say the birds flew in years ago and do not belong to them.
Calvin Moore of nearby Broomhall Farm said: “The peacocks do not belong to us. They have been around for the last 15 to 20 years. They are all over the village.
“We have just accepted they have been around. I don’t know who they belong to and I haven’t looked into it.
“People presume they are ours because we have a little bit of land.”
The petition to Durham County Council has 104 signatures.
Joanne Waller, head of environment, health and consumer protection said: “We have received complaints about noise from peacocks in Ushaw Moor and we are currently investigating to determine whether they create a statutory noise nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.”
