WHAT is all this bellowing about pigeons? I've never seen a pigeon throw a take-away carton away, swear in public or fight and vomit on Bolton's streets.

As stated in a recent letter to the Bolton Evening News, just how many people have contracted illness via town centre pigeons?

As a Town Hall worker, I've had to console many members of staff, as a Health and Safety Officer, who have seen pigeons caught in the netting that has been put up over the Civic buildings.

Why can't people be more tolerant and compassionate for these creatures who have no voice of their own? The Mahatma Ghandi said, "the sophistication of a nation is displayed by how it treats its animals".

This says an awful lot for the percentage of people in Bolton who want to destroy these completely harmless and friendly birds.

Leave them alone!

(name and address supplied)