A gel which tricks birds into thinking buildings are on fire could be used to keep pigeons off buildings.

Maintenance firm Mears are considering using a non-toxic bird deterrent as a way of keeping gulls and pigeons off their favourite perches around Brighton and Hove.

The company, which manages 12,500 homes in Brighton and Hove as part of a ten-year, £200million contract with the city council, are watching the trial of the product in Crawley closely and planning their own tests shortly.

The product appears as an orange gel to humans but to pigeons, who are able to see ultraviolet light, it looks like flames, deterring them from landing on their favourite buildings.

The combination of herbal oils within the product is also abhorrent to birds' senses of smell and taste.

The low-cost product, can be applied to 15 homes for £35, and lasts up to four years.

The gel has already been successfully used in car parks in Horsham and Crawley earlier this year.

Mears contract manager James Cryer said: “We are watching the results of the gel use closely.

“Pigeons are a problem on high rise blocks and we would also want to see if it will work on seagulls too.

“Spikes and netting are unsightly and expensive and are sometimes harmful to other birdlife.”

Ian Smith, director of the product’s UK distribution agent JJ Bio Ltd, said that there had been no reports of birds becoming stuck in almost five years of extensive use of the gel in Asia and that the product has been approved by the RSPB and the Health and Safety Executive.