Baby pigeons rescued from waste incinerator site

Two baby pigeons have been rescued from inside a ventilation pipe at a waste incinerator plant.

The RSPCA said the pipe, at the top of a 50m (164ft) crane, had been sealed for ignition-testing, preventing their parents from returning.

A worker at the new waste incinerator plant on Kelvin Way in West Bromwich contacted the charity after spotting the birds during an inspection.

They have now been taken to the RSPCA's Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre, in Shropshire, for care.

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Bal Dhamia said: "The squabs were in a nest, of sorts, that their parents had built from plastic cable ties deep inside a ventilation pipe on top of a 50m-high crane inside the new waste incineration plant."

The £500m waste plant is expected to open later this year to process up to 395,000 tonnes of rubbish annually.

Dhamia said: "I had to scale many flights of stairs and then scramble up to them. I was able to scoop them out unharmed and take them into our care."

The RSPCA has published advice on what to do if you find a baby pigeon in distress.

It said: "The best thing to do with any potential injured wildlife is to withdraw and observe.

"Monitor from a safe distance to see if the situation improves, if parents return, or if they wander off before taking action."

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