A TRADER in a part of Wellington which has not long been re-opened says pigeon mess is blighting its image and driving shoppers away.

Birds roosting on old and disused buildings in Cornhill are leaving a trail of droppings in the alley that re-opened earlier this year after being ravaged by fire in December 2008.

Claire Rice, in-house painter at Red Hat Gallery, said: “It puts people off coming and I don’t blame them because it looks disgusting.

"The barbers next door and I have tried to make it look nice and keep up our image but we can’t do anything about the pigeon mess.

“I’ve been out with a pressure washer but it doesn’t do anything and they just keep coming back.”

The council said it had received no complaints and responsibility for clearing it up lies with the building owners.

A spokesman said: “There isn’t really a health risk unless the mess directly affects food premises or creates a slip risk from the build-up of droppings.”

Mike Perry, who owns the units which house Red Hat Gallery and the barbers next door, said he couldn’t take measures suggested by the council because the buildings opposite weren’t his.