A concerned Harrow man has urged people to stop attracting rats and pigeons through their dumping of leftover food.

Barry Howes sees people dropping bread and seeds for pigeons on a daily basis in the town centre, and the flock now seems to have made the pedestrian area its permanent home.

But he said the problem was far worse in the more residential areas, where people were chucking out carrier bags filled with egg shells, pasta, and other waste.

This was not only attracting pigeons but also rats and larger gulls.

“Harrow is becoming increasingly unsightly, and the piles of food and flocks of pigeons only act to make things worse,” he said.

“Residents in this area are sick and tired of the mess the pigeons and gulls cause, and worry about the rats being near restaurants and places where children play.”

He described his discussions with Harrow Council and its enforcement officers about the issue as “a complete waste of time”.

And he called for the council to put up signs telling people not to feed the birds lest the vermin become more prevalent.

“Birds and rats nesting in local buildings, causing mess and spreading disease, yet council won’t put up a sign telling people not to feed the birds,” he added.