Peacocks in village are 'serious problem' - council
ReutersA growing population of peacocks are "creating serious problems" for residents in a village, says the council.
Tutbury Parish Council in Staffordshire is asking everyone in the village to stop feeding the birds after residents have complained that they are becoming an "invasion of privacy".
The council said feeding the peacocks leads to them roosting and making loud, early-morning calls near homes; droppings left on driveways and vehicles; and some have even been spotted on residents' roofs.
Council chair Francis Crossley said: "We want to encourage the peacocks to find their food elsewhere, instead of coming to people's homes."
'Number is the problem'
He believed there were 26 peacocks during the council's last count but said there could now be up to 40.
The council said the peacocks were becoming more confident and "harder to deter", especially around homes where food is being provided for them.
"Residents are becoming distressed by the number of peacocks and the noises they are making; there are definitely more peacocks than there used to be," said Mr Crossley.
"They aren't aggressive to residents or attacking anybody; the number of them is the problem."
He added that he would "hate" to see anybody get rid of any of the peacocks.
"They don't belong to anybody; they just roam around the village, so there is nobody to deal with them," said Mr Crossley.
"They are beautiful animals, so I can see why people like to have them around. We would just like them to find their food elsewhere and not around people's homes."
In a statement, the parish council said they would be "exploring responsible and humane solutions, including working with local wildlife organisations".