Update 8 January 2014:

Network Rail’s Asset Engineer has just informed me that their Projects team has arranged to carry out the pigeon-proofing works on the Rodden Road railway bridge, with a temporary road closure from Somerset Highways, on 3rd March 2014.  This has been a long time coming, but will be welcome when it happens.

November 2013 news:

Many people have been concerned about the pigeons living in the railway bridge at Rodden Road. At times over 80 pigeons roost in the girders and on the nearby telegraph wire, dropping mess on people as they walk or cycle underneath. When it rains, the mess turns very slippery, people are at risk of falling, and this costs our councils money to clean up.  People have been complaining for a long time to Frome Town and Mendip District Councils that the pigeons should be excluded from the bridge as it is causing a nuisance. Finally there is good news at last.

I live on Rodden Road and have been helping one of the ward councillors for this area, Sam Phripp, and Mendip officers track down and complain to the right people at Network Rail, who are responsible for upkeep of the bridge.

I am pleased to say that our persistence has finally paid off.

After seeing complaints to both and Mendip District Council mount up last autumn, Sam and I joined forces with Mendip officers to put pressure on Network Rail to investigate and deal with the problem. Network Rail eventually agreed to commission a survey of the bridge and the mess being left by the pigeons problem. Their study concluded there was a high risk of legal action as it could be considered to be a ‘nuisance’.  Network Rail then agreed to fund pigeon-proofing in the next financial year, although would not commit to any specific date, and were non-committal as to whether they would pigeon-proof the whole bridge or just the small part above the pavement.

After further complaints and the threat of further action, Network Rail have now finally agreed to pigeon-proof the whole bridge, and have told me that the work will be done as soon as possible, subject to the required permissions being obtained from Somerset Highways and others. The pigeons will soon need to find somewhere else where they can live without being such a nuisance for local residents.

Local people will soon be able to walk or cycle under the bridge without having to dodge so many pigeons and their mess, which is good news for everyone who walks, cycles or drives under the bridge.