Newsroom

8 April 2026

Council teams step in to sort pigeon-infested property

Blackpool Council has stepped in to salvage a pigeon-infested, abandoned house that had become a blight on a neighbourhood.

Image shows a damaged living room, with part of the ceiling having fallen down and pigeon droppings across the surfaces
The home on Gorse Rd had been abandoned and fallen into a state of disrepair, allowing pigeons to 'move in' and cause further damage
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The property on Gorse Road, Blackpool, had fallen into disrepair, with pigeons ‘moving in’ risking exacerbating existing structural damage. Blackpool Council’s empty properties team worked to enforce a sale to protect neighbours from further harm and recover thousands in unpaid council tax.

An estate agent listing for the home then went viral on social media for its shocking state - as shown in these ‘before’ photos.

Now its ‘after’ condition has been revealed, having been transformed into an attractive three-bed home by a trusted local developer.

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Image shows a newly renovated, open plan living area
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Image shows a kitchen in a poor state of repair, with pigeon droppings across the surfaces
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Image shows a newly renovated, modern kitchen
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Image shows a bathroom in a poor state of repair, with pigeon droppings across the surfaces
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Image shows a newly renovated, modern bathroom
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Image shows a bedroom in a poor state of repair, with pigeon droppings across the surfaces
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Image shows a newly renovated, bright and spacious bedroom

Image shows a newly renovated, open plan living area
Image shows a kitchen in a poor state of repair, with pigeon droppings across the surfaces
Image shows a newly renovated, modern kitchen
Image shows a bathroom in a poor state of repair, with pigeon droppings across the surfaces
Image shows a newly renovated, modern bathroom
Image shows a bedroom in a poor state of repair, with pigeon droppings across the surfaces
Image shows a newly renovated, bright and spacious bedroom
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This is one of four residential properties that have been brought back into use through council action in recent months. Blackpool Council has also enforced Orders For sale proceedings for two homes in the Bloomfield area and another in Claremont.

Neighbour Veronica Flete had raised concerns with Blackpool Council over the property’s security and impact on the street.

She said:

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“The property was causing a lot of issues – there were pigeons making a lot of noise and worse still, leaving a lot of pigeon muck, and some children saw [the house] as an exciting exploration site, posing dangers on so many levels. The house has now been renovated by a private developer and they have done a marvellous job. It has recently been rented out to a young family and it is so nice to see lights on and life back in in the house. I feel much happier knowing the property is now lived in and cared for.”
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Cllr Paula Burdess, Blackpool Council’s cabinet member for street scene, added:

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“As the ‘before’ photos show, this house not only posed potential health issues but had become a real blight for the neighbourhood. Leaving it as it was, simply wasn’t an option. Understanding that, for various reasons, the landlord was unable to deal with the property, our teams stepped in. To bring the home back into use, we issued a Charging Order, allowing us to enforce a sale of the property. This allowed us to recover a substantial sum of unpaid council tax and pass it on to a responsible property developer. Where problem properties become a blight on neighbourhoods, we will use our powers to issue Charging Orders like this to seize abandoned properties, or Closure Orders to prevent anti-social behaviour, all to make our neighbourhoods safer.”
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Following its sale, the semi-detached property has now been completely renovated by a private property developer - adding a modern open-plan living space while also retaining some original features. The home, just a short walk away from Stanley Park, is already home to new residents.

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