Bird scarers

The use of propane gas guns by farmers as bird scarers has been a constant problem in the Bourne area and has continued over the years despite repeated complaints from the public.

In December 2003, one farmer gave his neighbours an unwanted Christmas present by setting up one of these devices in his field between Dyke village and the new housing estates to the north of Bourne where it was programmed to fire off explosions at regular intervals and did so all through the festive season and well into the New Year.

The use of these audio bird scarers is supposed to be regulated by Codes of Practice drawn up by the National Farmers Union and circulated by South Kesteven District Council’s Environmental Health Services but farmers appear to flout them as they wish. Yet not only are these guns utterly useless in the business of scaring birds away from crops, but they are also one of the most anti-social devices ever invented and while the pigeons and crows defy the farmer who puts one on his land, those people who live within earshot have to suffer the consequences of his ill-advised actions.

The codes specifically ask farmers not to fire gas guns more than four times in any one hour and they are also advised not to use them on Sundays. They should also be surrounded by a baffle of straw bales and positioned down wind to reduce the noise but those stipulations are also invariably ignored. Farmers are also asked to ensure that their name and telephone number are displayed at the nearest point of public access in order that they may be contacted in case of complaint. This is rarely done and so the public are powerless to determine the identity of the culprit when a nuisance is being committed.

In many cases gas guns are also positioned within easy reach of public footpaths used by walkers, many of them women and children, and so should also be a matter for the Health and Safety Executive if they were so minded to investigate. Complaints lodged with SKDC, however, have not been effective and officers have adopted an attitude of not taking any serious action to stop these guns from firing.

In the case of the incident in 2003-04, a complaint was lodged with the council who contacted the owner and reminded him of his responsibilities. A council official said later: “I have been in touch with the farmer regarding the gas gun and he has assured me that he will check the settings to ensure that it is operating within the NFU Codes of Practice.”

That was on December 17th but nothing was done. In fact, the situation became far worse because the firing continued throughout the holiday, on Sundays, on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, and frequently before sunrise and after sunset, all in breach of the guidelines. Furthermore, it was later discovered that the farmer and his family were away for the holiday leaving the gun firing continually without attention even though the guidelines also recommend a telephone contact with someone in the neighbourhood in case of complaint. This was also totally ignored.

The gas gun was finally removed shortly before midday on Friday 2nd January 2004 and peace returned to the fen. But what good did it do? There were no more and no less birds out there than there were when it was loudly firing away every few minutes. The only result was that it ruffled a few feathers among the neighbours by reminding them that not everyone was willing to observe the season of peace and goodwill.

Other complaints have been made over the years at Morton (1999), Bourne (1999), Dyke (2006) and Bourne (2010 and 2013). The nuisance therefore persists despite a national petition being launched in 2010 asking the government to ban these devices on the grounds that they are not only destroying the peace and tranquillity of the countryside through noise pollution but also because they are pointless and ineffective in their operation, a factor which can be proved by anyone who has observed them in action. The B-ooom Group (Bang out of order mate!), which wants to prohibit the use of gas guns, also launched its own web site containing a link to the petition and a wealth of information about their use.

Many peoples' lives have been disrupted by these noisy devices and the uncaring attitude of the farmers who insist on using them. This pressure group is therefore a welcome safety valve for those who wish to have them banned with the added impetus of adding a signature on the petition to government. But in the final analysis, it is up to the district council to take action by reminding errant farmers of their responsibilities although past experience indicates that they have no intention of taking any action whatsoever.

WRITTEN FEBRUARY 2013