Animal welfare officers released pigeons trapped under a railway bridge.
The birds became trapped in netting put up by Network Rail under the bridge where Old Shoreham Road becomes New England Road in Brighton.
Passer-by Linda Freston contacted The Argus to say she believed several had starved to death.
She said: "This is cruel, unnecessary and unacceptable."
Brighton and Hove City Council said the fire brigade helped free some birds from the netting.
A spokesman told The Argus: "We are appealing to the railway operators to fix the nets up properly to stop this happening again, or if necessary to replace them with a more humane and effective proofing method.
"We are also advising them that as the owners of the nets it's their job to release any trapped birds."
A spokesman for Network Rail said lorries and car aerials can damage the netting, allowing birds to get in and become trapped.
He said: "We are aware there have been complaints regarding pigeons at the Old Shoreham Road bridge.
"We have sent an engineer along to assess the situation with a view to freeing any trapped birds, finding out how the proofing was damaged and carrying out any repairs that were necessary."
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