PIGEONS who were trapped under a bridge at a train station have been described as a “traumatising” sight by a father.

Anthony McGee, 34, a local resident who noticed the issue on Tuesday night at a bridge near Newton train station in Cambuslang said the sight “traumatised my kids”.

Anthony said the netting resulted in about a dozen pigeons dying and the suffering of even more.

A contractor working on behalf of Network Rail, who operate the bridge, is believed to have installed the netting sometime last week.

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Glasgow Times: The net was later fixed and fitted with an escape holeThe net was later fixed and fitted with an escape hole

Anthony said: “They have just let the pigeons die so when you walk to the train station there are dead pigeons directly above your head and not just one or two.

"This has resulted in a horrible, horrible site that has traumatised my kids. One is turning three in a month.

“The contractor should have removed all live animals before putting the netting in. If you go there you can hear them cooing.  

"I'm a roofer and I know you can't trap live animals and cause unnecessary suffering.

"If I did that on a building site I'd get hammered. I'd probably have my dogs taken off me. And they can just do that and it's fine? The birds can all die and my kids can be traumatised?”

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Head of Roads and Transportation Services at South Lanarkshire Council, Gordon Mackay, said: “On July, 21 we were alerted to pigeons being caught in pest control netting attached to the Network Rail owned railway overbridge adjacent to the entrance to Newton Station.

“A contractor working on behalf of Network Rail had been undertaking inspection work on the bridge and had replaced the pest control netting last week.

“The netting was not installed or approved to be installed by the council and we had no knowledge of the works being undertaken.

“We contacted the contractor responsible and we understand that action has since been taken to address the situation and prevent it from occurring again.”

Network Rail has been approached for comment.