Five geese face firing squad: Residents split over fate of invading birds causing a nuisance in upmarket street

By PAUL BENTLEY

In a flap: Residents are calling for a gaggle of Canada geese to be shot after they settled on a nearby lake and began defecating outside their homes

Waddling happily across a lush lawn bathed in glorious sunshine, the Canada geese of Meadowlake Close have no idea they could be taking their final steps.
After setting up home beside a lake on this genteel private road in Lincoln, it seems these Canada geese have ruffled a few feathers.
The birds have upset residents by leaving droppings along the cul-de-sac.
And with the mess considered a ‘safety risk’ as it could be trodden into homes, several adult geese and three goslings are due to pay the ultimate price for their bad manners – death by firing squad.

Stay of execution: Fed-up residents called a pest controller, but one neighbour determined to save them has now been given seven days to remove them himself

The nuisance neighbours have caused an almighty row on the usually peaceful road, with some homeowners demanding that they are culled immediately.
They claim they have tried to deter them with fences and plastic swans, but say the birds keep coming back, leaving droppings covering paths and gardens.
However, others on the 38-bungalow private estate are fiercely opposed to the ‘barbaric cruelty’ of their neighbours.
Now residents fed-up with the geese have given those who wish to stop the cull seven days to find a way to remove the birds before they are shot.

Resident Les Overton said a cull would amount to 'barbaric cruelty'

Les Overton, 60, a retired fleet manager, is one of several residents determined to save the geese, which settled on the road several months ago.
‘I think it’s barbaric cruelty,’ he said. ‘The three babies haven’t lost all their fluff yet.
'The fact they are leaving droppings isn’t a good enough excuse. The residents knew there was a lake here, so why did they move here?’
Retired project manager Barry Watkins, 82, whose bungalow faces the lake, added that neighbours who are pushing for a cull are ‘making a mountain out of a molehill’.
But retired artist John Pooley, whose bungalow also looks on to the lake, said he was plagued by the geese on a daily basis.

Waddle happen now? The law allows people to kill certain species under a General License from Natural England if animals are causing a health risk

Mr Pooley, 61, who has lived on the close for seven years, added: ‘Most people would not want this outside their front doors.
‘I have to go out to clean up and chase the geese off my lawn every day, but when you turn your back they soon come back.’
Jim Keeble, resident and director of the company that looks after maintenance in the street, said: ‘We have quite a lot of elderly residents who have regular visits from carers, not just in the day but at night too.
‘The geese drop a “packet of nuisance” about every minute and it gets trodden into people’s homes.

'Health hazard': Residents in Meadowlake Close (above), Lincoln, claim elderly neighbours are at risk because the droppings are being trodden into their homes

‘It’s extremely unhealthy and we need to get rid of them.’
The law allows people to kill certain species if the animals are causing a health risk.
A firearms officer has visited the street and has already laid down conditions for the cull.
But Mr Overton is hoping that before it goes ahead, he will be able to have the birds netted by the RSPCA and a local wildlife rehabilitation centre and moved to a lake just over 20 miles away in South Kyme, Lincolnshire.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has urged the community to consider non-lethal measures before resorting to shooting the geese.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) urges communities to consider non-lethal measures before resorting to shooting geese

A Lincolnshire firearms officer has visited the street and has laid down conditions for the cull

source: dailymail