Help is at hand for householders plagued by pigeon-poop strewn roofs, says one man who had 14,000 gallons of water destroyed by the airborne pests.

Steve Croucher went online and bought a pigeon trap which helped nab the birds when other methods had failed.

He said: “Earlier this year I had 14,000 gallons of water ruined all because of pigeons.”

Mr. Croucher said options for catching birds are limited between Chickens Plus trap operator David Burrows, who catches birds in his spare time and a retired teacher from St. David's licensed to shoot unwanted birds with an airgun.

“The problem with this is he might hit one but then the rest fly off. It's a problem,” Mr. Croucher said.

Conservationists have said Bermuda's pigeon problem is on the rise with a record 1,200 on the Island. Their excreta can destroy buildings as well as contaminate water tanks with salmonella.

Mr. Croucher believes the birds first came to his home to take spilled food from a neighbour's coup where homing pigeons are kept.

Once settled in, the pigeons quickly made a mess of his roof because they defecate so frequently said Mr. Croucher.

“It's a hell of a problem and I couldn't get anyone to do anything about it.

“I had to buy bottled water as my water was contaminated but I still had to use the tank water for showering and washing clothes before using bottled water for the final rinse. It stinks like stagnant pond water. It isn't ideal.

“It was pointless getting the tank cleaned until I had got rid of them.

“I had the water tested by the Health Department. They said don't, in any circumstances, drink it, it's full of salmonella. It can kill.”

He said the inspectors had said bleaching the water would not be enough to cure the problem.

Buying water cost him more than $1,000 before he was able to end the pigeon blight.

“Of course this went on for several months early last summer.

“So I bought a trap on line, set it up, put corn in it and when they came in, gladly wrung their necks.”

Mr. Croucher caught about 30 pigeons in groups of two or three at a time in the wire cage which cost him around $130 to import. The birds can enter easily but can't leave.

He said his home in My Lord's Bay Road, Crawl had also been plagued with feral chickens for years and that Hamilton Parish was particularly badly hit because there were so many old buildings.

Since culling the pigeons after using the trap he still gets two or three pigeons occasionally gathered on his roof but they are not a concern yet.

“It's a matter of watching to see if any more come,” said Mr. Croucher.

Conservation Services Director Jack Ward said: “It's absolutely brilliant when the general public get involved like this.”

He said one person had trapped more than 100 pigeons using a trip trap over a long period before bringing the birds in to Conservation Services where they are destroyed.

He said: “He's been very effective. He simply puts them in a paper bag with holes in and we gas them.”

Mr. Ward said he knew of other households which had tanks of water destroyed by excrement from roosting pigeons.

“It's odd, there are certain buildings they frequent, there's one house on Harrington Sound they frequent.

“All the other houses are clean but there is one with them on.”

Pigeon traps can be bought on-line at tomahawklivetrap.com