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Noisy peacocks have been keeping locals up in the early hours of the morning in a small Staffordshire village.
The birds have been ruffling some feathers in Tutbury and the problem is so bad that the parish council has told people not to feed them.
Droppings on driveways and vehicles, loud squawking and destroyed gardens are just some of the issues residents are fed up with.
Retired dinner lady Marion West, 71, described the peakcoks as a ‘bit of a pain’.
She said: ‘They’re up half the night squawking and keep you awake.
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‘I squirt them with a water pistol if they come near me. If you’re not careful, they poo everywhere, and it’s such a mess.
‘They eat your flowers too, they’re a pain in the backside. When they walk on your roof, it sounds like you’ve got burglars.’
Other residents who did not wish to be named described the birds as an ‘absolute nuisance’ who squawk during the early hours.
But some, like Heather Hunter-Harris, 63, who has been living in the area for more than 16 years, think the peacocks are just part of the village’s charm.
She said: ‘The peacocks have always been in Tutbury. I feel like if you take those out, you’re taking Tutbury away.
‘People come here to see the peacocks, and when they put their tails up, it looks lovely.
‘You’ve just got to be tolerant, keep out their way, and let them get on with it.’
According to council chair Francis Crossley, the growing peacock population in the village has created ‘serious problems’.
He said there were 26 peacocks during the council’s last count but said there could now be up to 40.
The council is asking everybody in the village to stop feeding the birds after residents complained that they are becoming an ‘invasion of privacy’.
Feeding the peacocks encourages them to roost and make loud, early-morning calls near homes, it added.
Francis said: ‘Some people love them, but some people can’t bear them, it’s a Marmite situation.
‘They wouldn’t attack anyone, but when they see their reflection, they do peck – like if they see a reflection in a car.
‘As a Parish Council, we haven’t really taken a view as they’re not ours.’
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