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A TOWN Hall official who sent a letter to tenants warning them they faced eviction if caught feeding pigeons has been ticked off over its “clearly inappropriate” content.

A spokesman said an investigation had been launched into how the letter got out and apologised for any upset.

Tenants on the Palmers estate in Archway received the letter from quality assurance officer Gassimu Jah last week warning that a “professional witness” had been appointed to identify “culprits”, who were contributing to a build-up of pigeon mess between Littlefield Close and Greatfield Close.

The letter warned: “Islington are not prepared to allow this kind of behaviour and will take steps to enforce the conditions of tenancy and covenant which may [sic] severe consequences including court action and could lead to injunction or the loss of your home.

“Islington council have appointed a ‘professional witness’ to obtain video and hear say evidence to identify the culprits of this behaviour. No further warnings will be given regarding this issue.”

A council spokesman said: “We would only ever use a professional witness in instances where we believe serious crimes are happen­ing or sus­pected, which is clearly not the case here.”

But Mr Jah told the Tribune yesterday: “Yes, we have a problem.” He said people on the estate had complained to him about the mess.

“Obviously we have to be seen to be doing something about it,” he added. “It’s not nice, especially for the older people walking round there.”

Mr Jah said he had had to call in cleaners twice in the past two weeks due to the mess. “This cost comes out of people’s bills at the end of the month or year,” he said, adding that it was not fair on people who were not feeding the pigeons.

Mr Jah’s manager, Ernest Okrah, said the letter was a “mistake”, adding: “We did the apology and that’s the end of it.”

Palmers estate resident Ann Danalar, 56, told the Tribune: “When I saw the letter I just thought, what a prat – eviction? I’m sure they can’t do that.” Ryan Ross, 28, who lives in Greatfield Close, said: “I never feed pigeons myself, so I didn’t feel particularly threatened by the letter. To be honest, I’ve never even noticed any pigeons around here.

“What struck me most was the threat of spying. The people who feed pigeons tend to be elderly, so if this was real, it was targeted at them. Either way, it’s not something that makes you feel welcome.”

Official guidance on Islington Council’s website, dated 2012, states: “Many people take pleasure in feeding pigeons. Unfortunately, the number of pigeons attracted to an area depends on the food available. It is vital that food sources for pigeons are kept to a minimum. There have been a number of cases where people have been prosecuted for causing a health risk by repeatedly feeding pigeons.”