People have been urged to stop feeding pigeons after a shoot-to-kill policy was dropped.

Several years ago, Worthing Borough Council stopped using marksmen armed with air rifles to cull the pigeon population amid fears of a clash with animal rights protesters.

But now councillors are reporting an upsurge in complaints about pigeons and the mess they leave.

Councillor Jack Saheid said: "People are complaining about pigeons. They are not classed as pests so what can be done about the pigeons messing the place up?"

Haydn Smith, the council's health and environment officer, said: "For many years the council carried out some limited culling of wild pigeons in the town.

"Some two or three years ago there was a lot of public pressure, not just from residents but nationally as well, for councils to eliminate the culling of pigeons.

"The council decided at that time it would no longer take part in the culling."

Mr Smith said the pigeon problem was now increasing again because well-intentioned but misguided people were feeding them.

He said: "If the public didn't feed them, the pigeon population would go down.

"I would like to have a campaign to try to educate the public more.

"Various notices are put up to try to discourage them but they are not always successful.

"It is something we need to look at again but there are only limited possibilities for reducing them."