Peacocks terrorising village renowned for its Spitfire pilots history
Residents of a village famous for its Spitfire pilot training history have claimed that peacocks are attacking their cars.
Hibaldstow, in North Lincolnshire, has found itself menaced by nearly 30 peacocks, with cars being attacked after some birds attempted to fight their reflection in the paint or polished bumpers.
Gardens and graves have been damaged, while residents have complained that the birds make loud noises at anti-social times.
RAF Hibaldstow, where many Second World War Spitfire pilots trained, closed in 1947 but the long runways are intact and the airfield is used by police as a skidpan, model plane enthusiasts and a skydiving business.
Last June, the North Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre reopened there after a refurbishment, where visitors can explore the airfield command bunker, see military vehicles up close and join guided tours.
The peacocks have been a part of village life since the 1960s, but now some residents are concerned about the increasing population.
Les Gladwell, 75, a former shopkeeper in the village, recently opened his curtains and counted 18 peacocks in his garden.
He said: 'They have absolutely ruined the garden, eating everything in sight, and they also attack my car.
'Because it's dark-coloured, the male birds see their own reflections in it and attack themselves. The pecking and scratching has caused a lot of damage.
'I often look out and see them surrounding the car with a couple sitting on top of it. I have to bang on the window with my shoes to scare them off.
'They are beautiful birds, and it's nice to see them strutting around the village for some, but it's become too much.'
Sarah Filby said she kept a close eye on her five-year-old son when he went into the garden to play football.
She said: 'When he was two, he found himself cornered by a peahen with chicks. They become very territorial and can be aggressive, so it was really worrying to see him trapped by them.
'I went out and managed to steer them away from him, and now he's a little bigger he's learning how to handle them himself.
'He goes out with his arms held wide and will usually manage to shoo them away, but I have to keep an eye on him and make sure he's safe.
'The numbers seem to have been growing year on year, and there's no doubt they can be a problem.
'They block the main road and drivers don't know what to do. They beep their horns at them, which just causes the peacocks to stand their ground and squawk back at the cars.
'We've had them wander into the house before, which was interesting. It's not easy to persuade a peacock they need to leave.
'I've spoken to environmental health about them, but they say they're wild birds, just like pigeons. I had to point out that they are definitely not just like pigeons.'
David Stothard, a parish councillor, said could see the problems but did not think Hibaldstow would ever get rid of the birds.
He said: 'There was a meeting in the village hall to discuss the issue, with one lady suggesting we needed to reduce the numbers, and it was attended by about 60 people.
'The conclusion was that the peacocks would be staying but she was welcome to move on if she wanted to.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
35 minutes ago
- BBC News
Second pair of breeding ospreys in Poole a 'major milestone'
A second pair of breeding ospreys has been spotted in a "major milestone" for a reintroduction project, a charity has of Poole Harbour said the two ospreys, female 1H1 and male 374, were only the second pair of breeding ospreys in southern England since first pair, female CJ7 and male 022, hatched four chicks in of Poole Harbour said 1H1 and 374 hatched two chicks, one on 3 June and one on 5 June. "This is another major milestone for the project, and is a real testament to the hard work that goes into reintroduction projects," the charity said. Male 374 and female 1H1 first encountered one another last year and established a pair bond, the charity 1H1 returned in the spring and roamed the local area, visiting many of the nest platforms she and 374 had found the previous 5 April, 374 was also spotted in the area, and they found one another again on 6 April. The first egg was laid on 24 charity said it would not share the location of the nesting site to ensure "the ongoing protection and success" of the new added there would be no livestream of "Nest Two", but that important updates would be shared. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Wolverhampton mosque-site nursery plan approved
Plans for a two-storey nursery on the site of a Wolverhampton mosque have been approved by the backing comes after confirmation the opening hours at the Staveley House nursery would not clash with the mosque's peak-time use, the authority proposal has also been amended, to make the nursery element of the building on Great Hampton Street was "completely separate from the mosque".Permission was granted subject to conditions, including that the premises should only be used as a nursery between 08:30 and 16:00 from Monday to Friday, and not during weekends and bank/public holidays. There should also be no more than 20 children there at any one time and the number of staff would not exceed four, the authority making its decision to approve the plan, it said it had confirmed the development would be of an appropriate design, scale and appearance "that would not have an adverse impact" on the area's include making sure external materials used in the development should match those of "the existing building in size, colour, form and texture".No construction operations, including site clearance work, delivering building materials and removing waste, should take place other than between 07:00 and 09:30 and 15:00 and 17:30 from Monday to Friday and 07:00 to 09:30 on should be no such construction work on Sundays or bank/public holidays, the council said. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Leamington Spa school praised as 'remarkable and happy' by Ofsted
A school described by inspectors as "remarkable and happy" has been rated outstanding by at Briar Hill Infant School in Whitnash, Leamington Spa, were kind, respectful and "flourish as a family", which gives them a sense of belonging, inspectors said after a visit in report said staff had high ambitions for all pupils that were realised, and strong relationships between staff and children formed the foundations of the school, where children loved to give back to the had included visits to a care home to play board games with residents, fundraising for charities, and forging strong links with a school in Africa. Pupils at the primary school in Coppice Road, which takes children aged from four to seven, thrived academically, socially and emotionally, the report said."Staff invest time to get to know each child and they use this insight to nurture and meet their needs," it school had a "sharp focus" on teaching pupils to read, with youngsters learning as soon as they entered the reception class, and all the children enjoyed learning and behaved impeccably during lessons, inspectors noted how staff had actively responded to pupils' views and, because of their interest in archery and dance-based fitness, the school now had popular extra-curricular clubs."All of this provides pupils with positive experiences of this infant school where they make lasting memories," the report said. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
