Feathers will no longer be flying in a seaside town after pigeons were given a stay of execution.

A total of 126 residents sent a petition to Worthing Borough Council asking it to look for ways to control pigeons without killing them.

The council has now got rid of its culling policy and is looking at alternative methods.

This includes trying to stop people from feeding the pigeons in public areas, such as Liverpool Gardens or Beach House Park, and setting up artificial nesting sites where eggs can be removed.

Worthing gets fewer than 30 complaints a year about pigeons compared to 675 for rats and mice.

The council will review the pigeon population again in the summer.