THE church roof is under threat — and there is an unusual culprit to blame for the damage.

Peregrine falcons are killing so many pigeons around Bolton Parish Church that their feathers are blocking drainage holes in the church tower’s roof.

The blockage is causing rain water to build up on the tower’s flat roof, which is seeping through and causing the wood to rot.

Now the RSPB has taken down nesting boxes from the church to discourage the birds of prey from bringing their dinner back to the tower.

Greater Manchester bird recorder Judith Smith said: “It’s a listed building and they don’t want to have all these feathers causing problems, so we’ve got to come up with some kind of compromise.

“Removing the boxes won’t stop them using the tower, so we’re looking at putting some kind of cowling over the drainage holes to stop the feathers getting in.”

The Vicar of Bolton, Rev Matt Thompson, said an assessment was now being carried out to see whether the seeping of water had caused any serious damage to the church.

He said: “There is a problem of water ingress, and we need to stop the water overflowing as soon as possible.

“We’re looking at a number of options, because we don’t want to harm rare birds in the process of protecting the building.”

The church is working with the RSPB to ensure there is no unnecessary disturbance to the birds of prey.

The peregrines, which are protected by law because of their rarity, have been a common sight and sound in Bolton town centre since they settled in the town hall clock tower in 2008.

A nesting pair has returned each year to the town hall and successfully hatched a brood of chicks, although they use the church as a feeding ground.

Bolton Town Hall is covered in netting to protect the building from birds, but Mrs Smith said that would not be a viable solution at the church because peregrines may get tangled up in it and the tower is not overlooked.

A council worker spotted one of the peregrine chicks caught up in netting on the town hall in 2008, prompting an emergency rescue.

Town Hall bosses are now working overtime to get the scaffolding down from the town hall in time for the peregrine breeding season.

julian.thorpe@ theboltonnews.co.uk