Pigeons rarely get the same attention as wasps or rats, but they’re one of the most common pest problems we deal with across Nottingham — and they cause more damage than most people realise. This week we’re looking at two very different parts of our patch where pigeon problems show up in different ways: Nottingham city centre (NG1) and Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield (NG17).
Both areas ask us for help with pigeons regularly, but for different reasons — and the fix usually looks a bit different too.
Why pigeons are more than a nuisance
A few birds roosting on a ledge doesn’t sound urgent, but pigeon droppings are acidic enough to eat into stonework, render, and roofing materials over time, and a build-up in a loft space or behind signage can get heavy enough to cause real structural problems. Droppings and nesting material also carry health risks — including salmonella and a lung infection called histoplasmosis — which matters a lot more if you’re running a food business or letting out a property than most people assume. Once a pair of pigeons decides a ledge or roof void is a good spot to nest, they’ll keep coming back to the same site year after year unless something changes.
Nottingham city centre: commercial buildings and historic stonework
NG1 has a particular problem: a dense mix of historic buildings, shopfronts, and commercial premises with ledges, parapets, and signage that pigeons love. Around the Lace Market, Old Market Square, and the main shopping streets, we regularly get called out to units where droppings are staining stonework, blocking gutters, or putting off customers standing under an awning. For food businesses in particular, an EHO visit that turns up bird fouling near a doorway or extraction unit is the kind of thing that can affect a hygiene rating, so it’s worth dealing with before an inspection rather than after one.
For commercial premises in the city centre, the usual fix is a combination of bird spikes on ledges and ridges, discreet wire or post-and-wire systems on parapets where spikes would look too obtrusive on a listed or period building, and netting for larger recessed areas like loading bays or covered walkways. None of it needs to be visible from street level if it’s specified properly, which matters a lot on older buildings where appearance counts.
Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield: roof voids and terraced housing
NG17 is a different picture. Around Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield, most of our pigeon call-outs are residential — older terraced and semi-detached housing with gaps under roof tiles, damaged soffits, or loose ridge tiles that give pigeons a way into the loft space itself. Once inside, they nest in the same spot repeatedly, and the smell, mess, and mite problems that come with an established roost can get pretty unpleasant before anyone spots what’s actually going on up there. It’s also common in this area for a bird problem to only become obvious once someone’s doing loft insulation or a roof repair and finds years of droppings and old nesting material already there.
For homes in this situation, the priority is finding and blocking the actual entry point — usually with proofing mesh or a proper repair to the damaged tile or soffit — rather than just netting the outside, since birds that are already in will need excluding properly first.
What to do if you’ve got a pigeon problem
A few sensible pointers whether you’re in the city centre or out toward Ashfield:
Don’t disturb an active nest if you can avoid it. Pigeons don’t have the same legal protections as some other wild birds, but nests with eggs or chicks still need handling carefully and correctly.
Check loft spaces at the start of autumn, before birds look to move into a warmer roosting spot for winter — catching gaps early is a lot cheaper than dealing with an established roost.
Get proofing installed by someone who’s assessed the actual entry and roosting points, rather than a generic spike strip along one ledge, which pigeons will often just move around.
We cover pigeon and bird proofing across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, from commercial units in the city centre to residential roofs out toward Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield. If you’ve noticed droppings building up, birds getting into a roof void, or you just want a roof and ledge check before the colder months, get in touch and we’ll take a look.
