2,000 pigeons shot with rifles at railway stations

Domesticated pigeons in the UK began to be seen as pests around the 1960s

More than 2,000 pigeons have been shot at railway stations and depots across the UK in 16 months, the BBC has found.

Professionals with air rifles shoot the pigeons at night in an effort to prevent droppings becoming slip hazards or causing illness, but critics say the method is inhumane.

Of the stations managed by state-owned companies, York Station recorded 608 birds shot between January 2025 and April of this year - 152 of them on a single day.

The data was sourced under the Freedom of Information Act which does not apply to private companies, so it is possible other stations have culled more and the total is higher than the current figure of 2,019.

LNER was the most prolific train operator with more than 800 birds shot at its stations in the year and four months to March 2026 - three-quarters of those at York Station.

"We do implement a number of deterrents and any other measures are as a last resort only," the operator said.

"The safety of our customers and colleagues is our number one priority."

It said its higher totals on individual days – 152 on 26 January last year, and 97 on 21 February this year – were a result of large gaps between cullings.

Network Rail had 600 pigeons killed across Bristol Temple Meads, London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley stations.

South Western Railway ordered the shooting of 250, Transport for London had 147, and Northern had 143.

Scotrail and c2c did not kill pigeons at any of their stations.

Rick Pellen from Pest UK said it was important to keep pigeon numbers controlled so they were not causing hazards, but the method of shooting was typically a "last resort".

"Pigeons faeces carry many diseases such as psittacosis and salmonella, and when you get a lot of pigeons concentrated on a property and you get a build-up, it can be a serious health hazard," he said.

"The last time I did a pigeon cull in a train station, I think I euthanised about 55 birds."

Rob Loft, of Yor-Pest Control, said he tended to "steer clear" of shooting the birds but "in tricky places, for public health, it's got to be done".

"I always feel sorry for something that's been shot," he added.

"I prefer to guide them away if possible, but expense is probably the problem, especially somewhere like York Station."

Pigeons, pictured at York Station, can only digest grain which is abundant in towns and cities

Loft and Pellen each said they felt the birds had to be classified as vermin due to the spread of disease.

Sue Joyce, director of the National Pigeon Advocacy