Residents have been getting in a flap over some surprisingly frank advice on how to rid their village of the menace of starlings.

Mike Driscoll attempts to scare the Starlings as they prepare to roost near Stamford Bridge in this digitally-enhanced image

The birds descend annually on Stamford Bridge, raining "inches" of droppings as they come in to roost.

Now, members of the parish council searching for a hi-tech solution to the problem have been given an unexpected tip from pest experts: bang some dustbin lids together for three weeks.

The no-nonsense advice comes after the parish council tried to get hold of an audio cassette containing a recording of a starling's distress call. It was referred by the Yorkshire Wildlife Association to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which in turn recommended pest experts Rentokil.

Coun Hilary Saynor, vice-chairman of the parish council, said: "We have been looking for a tape that we could play to the wretched birds in the hope that they would go elsewhere.

"It was suggested we try Rentokil and they said we should get lots of people making a lot of noise - for two or three weeks.

"They say it is the only way to do it. But before we enlist everyone in the village to stand there banging dustbin lids for three weeks, we would like to try the tape method.

"If anyone knows where we can get a distress tape, please will they get in touch."

Chris Driscoll, owner and chef of the Corn Mill pub and restaurant, said: "There aren't any dustbin lids because everyone's got wheelie bins. I would have to use a couple of frying pans. But I've got a business to run - I can't spend three weeks banging frying pans together."

see COMMENT 'Stark, starling mad'

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