The grandad, 76, was accused of ‘ignoring’ the council’s warning to stop feeding birds – the daughter of the ‘Bird Man of Hartlepool’ claims the rat infestation was not his fault
A pensioner was forced to pay more than £2,000 after his council accused him of causing a rat infestation. Brian Wilkins, 76, dubbed the “Bird Man of Hartlepool”, was hit with huge fines and charges after buying 30 loaves of bread a day to feed birds.
Wilkins was blamed for a vermin invasion in Hartlepool, Co. Durham, and the grandfather received a Community Protection Order from furious councillors – but his daughter Paula Allison, 57, has revealed why the 76-year-old couldn’t stop his favourite hobby. Wilkins was hauled to court on Tuesday where he was found guilty of failing to comply with the community order.
He was hit with a £250 fine and ordered to pay a huge £1,826 in costs. Teesside Magistrates’ Court heard Wilkins dumped “excessive amounts” of bird seed and food from a trolley around Hartlepool, including the town centre.
Local businesses hit out at Wilkins’ hobby, saying they had seen an increase in rats after his bird feeding. Despite accepting these claims, the grandad argued he had a “reasonable excuse” as the birds would supposedly starve without him.
His daughter claimed all Wilkins spent his pension on was bread and seeds for the local birds. She said: “He’s overjoyed to see them enjoying the food… It’s more of a commitment than an enjoyment.”
She added: “He used to work but now he doesn’t have a car. He’s restricted. As he’s gotten older, he’s had nothing else to do. He used to go dancing but now he’s got out of society, practically. I don’t know how many years he’s been doing this for.”
Despite Wilkin’s pleas, the court summons said he continued to “ignore advice and requests to stop placing food and feed for wildlife”, leading to “the persistent attraction of vermin”. The summons added that the grandad’s “unreasonable” behaviour was “significantly impacting the quality of life”.
His daughter claimed her dad could not be behind the rat infestation, branding the court’s decision as “rubbish” and adding the vermin “have been around for ages”. She said: “One woman came up to us the other day and said, ‘The people of Hartlepool back you in this’. He’s not harming anybody. He’s just feeding the animals.”
This comes after the streets of Birmingham were hit with waves of “cat-sized” rats as mass bin strikes enter their third week. These vermin have fed off excess food waste dumped across the city as Birmingham City Council claimed picket lines were blocking its depot. A former senior manager at a Birmingham waste depot said: “The rat population has increased, you’ve got cats and foxes roaming the streets ripping open bags for food.”
Rats have also been seen roaming across the city’s streets as temperatures shot up over the weekend. A disgruntled businessman said: “A lot of the customers are getting worried about the strikes and are having to buy many more bin bags and rat traps.”
