HARDCORE animal liberation activists could be on their way to Trowbridge to hamper calls for a town centre pigeon cull.

Peaceful protests are planned for outside Trowbridge Town Council offices before and after Christmas, but experts believe animal activists could use hardline tactics to stop councillors sanctioning a cull.

Animal rights groups have been bombarding Trowbridge town councillors with e-mails, promising a series of "major and focused" protests, until the cull is debated on January 20.

The furore was sparked when a working group set-up to debate the issue decided shooting the pigeons was the only option left.

Guy Merchant, of Pigeon Control Advisory Service (PICAS), compared town councillors to characters in Trumpton, for blatantly ignoring advice he offered at a meeting back in January.

"The town council has been screaming about pigeons for years and has done absolutely nothing," he said. "They are a complete joke."

Mr Merchant said the issue will attract heavy interest from animal rights groups.

"They will do anything whatsoever to stop this going ahead," he said.

"These councillors could have animal rights activists camped outside their doors."

Solutions already considered include dovecotes, which were thought too costly, while hawks and robotic birds were dismissed as short-term answers.

Cllr Tom James, who heads up the town development committee, which voted through the cull, said: "I have had lots of e-mails from people calling for my head but I have responded to them all.

"Last time I got written threats but this time I am giving anything like that straight to the police.

"As long as we have people who persistently feed these pigeons nothing will change. It is these people who are causing the need for a cull."

Katherine Green, of Pigeon Campaigns UK, said protesters would flood the meeting next month.

"It is immoral. There will be letter campaigns and coordinated protests," she said.

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