Bella the hawk brought in to tackle pigeon problem at Essex train station

A hawk called Bella has been brought in to tackle "nuisance pigeons" at a train station.

The Harris hawk's job is to scare away other birds at Southend East in Essex.

Pigeons have been nesting at the station, resulting in droppings, train company c2c said.

Bella will work for a few days a week until the problem subsides. Her scent is said to be enough to scare away the birds.

A c2c spokesman said: “Customers are reminded that Bella is trained to the scare the pigeons away - her scent alone will do this - and she will not interact or harm them in any way.”

The company will also trial playing out warning cries over the PA system, to support Bella with her work.

It comes after the successful work of another Harris hawk called Keith at a number of stations in south Essex last year.

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