PEDESTRIANS being plopped on from a height as they walked under a Taunton bridge in March 2007 were hoping it would soon become a thing of the past.

Pigeons roosting beneath the railway bridge between Station Road and Kingston Road were set to be scared off by a bit of a ‘wailer’.

But the authorities weren't about to go reggae and hire a member of Bob Marley’s backing band – it’s the name of a sonic deterrent.

The machine emits high and varying pitched noises intermittently to prevent the birds hanging around.

Working with Network Rail, Taunton Deane Council put up £1,600 to take down the old, torn netting and clean up pigeon poo from the pavements.

Station Road was closed for a day for the ‘humane’ solution to be carried out.

The Deane’s environmental health officers decided to act after complaints from the public, many upset at the slippery state of the pavements when it rains.

Cllr Dilly Bradley, executive councillor for environmental services at the time, said: “This solution is an economical and humane way of dealing with the pigeons that are causing such a mess.

“I’m glad Taunton Deane Council has been able to take action and to have Network Rail working with us.”

Environmental health officers were also going to monitor the area after installation of the new equipment and report back to bridge owners Network Rail.

Though some of the frequencies emitted may be audible to humans, the location of the bridge means it was not thought the noise would cause any problems.

How wrong they were.

Following the failure of the netting plot to dislodge the birds, the wailer scheme also appeared to fall on deaf ears - unless you were a person.

The pigeons continued to sit pretty, while a number of pedestrians walking under the bridge jumped in shock at the noise.

The birds won again and are still there to this day. Pigeons 2, Authorities 0.