Pigeons’ Best Friend Now A Jailbird

The pigeons of South Norwood are really going to have to eat like birds now that Jean Knowlson has gone to jail for feeding them.

The 68-year-old resident of the the south London suburb was sent to prison for eight weeks Friday for violating a court order prohibiting her from laying out all-you-can-eat banquets for birds on her lawn.

Judge Alexander Butterfield ordered her imprisoned after hearing that she was scattering bread ankle-deep around her home, using up to 100 loaves a week. Local officials said her bird-feeding had been a problem since 1989.

The pigeon population around her home has increased dramatically, the judge said.

“There are now literally hundreds in the area resting on window ledges, causing mess from their droppings, and causing fear and alarm to elderly residents as they swoop low along the pathways,” Butterfield said.