Thursday 29 May 2014

"Call the Council"..BBC1 follow the "heroes of Tameside council as they wage war.."

BBC1 are currently showing "Call the Council" at 11.30 in the morning, Following what the BBC describe as "heroic front-line staff". On Tuesday 27th May we saw "Local heroes waging war" as they "Pursued a private battle against pigeons".

In this report from the front line we saw "Heroic" pest controller Brian Whelan demonstrate his "dispatcher", a pliers-like instrument he uses to.......... errr...........dispatch captured pigeons in a personal struggle against the enemy, All who use this instrument are licensed to use it.  Hmmmm licensed to kill.

But he does not work alone. He has a partner, a town patroller who serves £50 fixed penalties on people who feed the pigeons (and who presumably try to help the birds escape from their cages on the top of Ashton's Market Hall.) in defiance of the warning notices Brian puts up around the town centre urging the good folk of Ashton not to feed the birds.

So, it's all happening in Ashton. A private war fighting for control of the area, the hearts and minds of the population and ultimate victory over a dirty and verminous foe.The horror!

13 comments:

An American Tune said...

Be assured, fellow citizens, that in a democracy it is the laws that guard the person of the citizen and the constitution of the state, whereas the despot and the oligarch find their protection in suspicion and in armed guards.
Aeschines BC

Tameside mbc said...

We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.
Aesop

Anonymous said...

The Council services that have been highlighted by 'Call the Council' may seem trivial and irrelevant to most Tameside residents until they are required.

The Town/Tameside Patroller service no longer exists.

Anonymous said...

He dressed up like a clown for them
With his face paint white and red.

SerpentSlayer said...

That's awful. Who will talk to their friends for then in Ashton arcades for an hour at a time?
How will the patroller who lives a few doors down from me with her daughter (also a patroller) afford three cars for their one household?

Nae loss

Tameside Citizen said...

Got your message Alf G. Thanks and have done as advised.

Tameside Citizen said...

Anon @ 14:53. Thanks for that. If the Patroller service no longer exists, who hands out the £50 fixed penalty notice?

tonydj said...

When I was a Manchester City Council pest controller in the early 1980's we had some really unpleasant tasks, disinfecting premises where corpses had been found and treating down-and-outs for lice in the Salvation Army hostel.

I could tell some stories, like the supervisors who used to disinfest the flats where corpses had been found so that they could loot them and the senior health inspector working hand-in-glove with the local Chinese underworld on a protection racket. If restaurant owners didn't play ball the health inspector turned up.

Anonymous said...

just seen this idiot on tv seems to love killing them and pushing people about good thing hi is not in brum (that uses falcons to keep pigeons in check cheaper and better than using a idiot) loved when he said to the guy feeding them "mate and crick there necks" wonder what he is like to humans at home anyway this so called hero can show off for the tv cameras but we all know what h e is in real life most likly dangourous
£75 fines for feeding nature

Anonymous said...

@ Anonymous, The fine is justified, just as it would be for feeding rats or cockroaches.
When there are too many of a particular species for the public good, hygiene etc, some need exterminating.

Anonymous said...

watched the show on catch up tv the other day and spotted something that was said ..

you will get fined for feeding pigeons BUT it isnt against the law to feed them so how can the council fine you ???

brian did state it isnt against the law in the show ...

so if you do get fined the council are breaking the law as they are getting money by deception ..

tonydj said...

Regarding fines for feeding the pigeons, I think it is regarded as litter dropping.

rob said...

why are these people branded heroes, they are just doing there job, heroes are soldiers, firefighters and nurses.