Feeding pigeons in UK town and city centres could land you with a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £150, as many local councils clamp down on 'breaches'. Pigeons live in town and city centres throughout the UK, and many people choose to share food scraps or even bird feed with them to ensure they're adequately nourished.
While pigeons can eat a natural diet of grains and seeds, those residing in urban areas usually need to scavenge for abandoned food from humans such as bread, fast food leftovers, and even refuse in a desperate attempt to survive. Throwing your food towards a group of pigeons with the aim of helping them could, in reality, be regarded as a form of littering and might land you with a substantial fine.
Councils classify feeding as littering
Several UK local authorities categorise feeding pigeons as littering or a violation of 'local order', even when the birds do consume the food. This could set you back between £80 and £150 on the spot for feeding the birds, and it's not an unusual penalty. While councils maintain this is intended to reduce pest populations in centres, along with bird droppings, disguised as 'Public Spaces Protection Orders', others would contend it's a 'petty' action from them.
Publicised incidents and reactions
There have been several publicised instances of members of the public in recent years who have been caught in the act, seemingly innocently feeding the local pigeons. One of them was a man in Luton, fined £150 for 'littering', a penalty that the town's neighbourhood enforcement team patrol can also issue. The council at the time said: "Feeding pigeons not only encourages pigeons and other vermin such as rats but creates litter." They added: "Tackling antisocial behaviour like this will have a major impact on the appearance of our streets."
Following the council's post about the incident on X, numerous users responded with outrage at the policy. One person wrote: "Never seen something more stupid in my life man's just looking after the birds maybe that's his only joy in his day."
Another fine in Manchester
Another person to fall foul of this penalty was Sam Elkin, 23, from Southport, who was fined while marking her birthday back in March 2026. It was ruled that during her visit to Piccadilly Gardens, an area well known for its pigeon population, when she broke off a piece of her wrap and placed it on the ground for a nearby pigeon, she was effectively 'littering'. She told the BBC: "The food was literally gone - the pigeons had eaten it and left - before he'd even approached us really. It was shocking, I got really upset."
The episode left her shaken, and the £150 hit to her finances was far from insignificant. At the time, she and her partner had just moved into a new home and were in need of every penny they could spare for furniture and household essentials; she considered it deeply unjust given there are "bigger things going on in the world". Manchester City Council subsequently released a statement confirming that Sam's case had been placed on hold while they investigated the matter. Their response to the BBC article also clarified that officers will issue a 'Fixed Penalty Notice' should they witness a littering offence involving someone 'throwing rubbish, including items of food'.
