DUCKS at Stamford Bridge could be culled to stop their numbers spiralling out of control.

The parish council is investigating ways to reduce the record number of ducks living in The Shallows in the centre of the village - including a partial cull, transferring them elsewhere or restricting their food supply.

For years the ducks have provided people with enjoyment, and they are regularly fed bread and chips by passing residents and visitors. But as the numbers have now reached about 100, one local resident was so concerned about the mess and the fact that the birds happily wander in and out of the main road, that he drew it to the parish council's attention at its last meeting.

It is not the first time that the issue has been raised. A few years ago there were plans to transfer some ducks to a new location, but villagers were outraged.

Parish council chairman Hilary Saynor said the numbers were now spiralling out of control - a situation which, she says, is no good for the birds or the village - and the parish clerk had contacted the RSPCA for advice on the best solution. Coun Saynor said: "People come to feed them, they enjoy bringing their kids to feed the ducks. If they didn't feed them then maybe there wouldn't be so many, but on the other hand feeding the ducks is one of the joys of childhood. The problem is the mess and the road safety. There are too many ducks, but I don't know what the solution is."

Stamford Bridge resident Pat Tattersfield loves looking after the ducks, but agreed something had to be done.

She said: "I've fed them once a week for about four years, since they started nesting in my garden.

"But people feed them all the time, and the ducks aren't daft, they know to hang around.

"I agree that there are too many, but while people love feeding them, like silly old me, they will come here."

Lisa Dewhurst, spokeswoman for the RSPCA, said the parish council needed to look at long-term solutions. She said: "You could carry out a selective cull, but you would have to get a licence and if there is still a food supply then they will come back. You would need a licence to remove eggs from the nests because it is illegal to interfere with a bird's nest.

"The best way is to encourage people not to feed them."

Updated: 10:40 Monday, January 21, 2002