Pigeon Pinching Panic

Remember Terry Sandham, the Yorkshire skip hire pigeon fancier (try saying that after a few shandies) who was being denied planning permission for his palatial pigeon loft?

Well, he won the court battle (yay!) but has lost some award winning pigeons since (boo!).

The bad news follows as Sandham has now reported the theft of dozens of his prized pigeons.

Terry Sandham, 69, believes thieves broke into his luxury pigeon loft in Guiseley last week, making off with up to 30 birds worth at least £1,000.

As reported in The Skip last year, Mr Sandham ruffled the feathers of council bosses by building the palatial 18ft by 5ft loft on green belt land.

But the skip hire boss later won a planning appeal and was awarded legal costs from Leeds City Council, which could total up to £40,000.

Almost one year later, he is still waiting for the money – and after the added stress of the pigeon theft, he said he finally wanted some “peace”.

The businessman, who runs Aireborough Waste Traders, said, ”I felt sick when I realised what had happened.

“Those birds are massive part of my life; I’ve had pigeons since I was an eight-year-old lad. At least 10 have gone, but numbers in other parts of the loft have gone down as well.

“I’ve been ill over Christmas and this just adds to it. If they’re released, there’s a chance they may fly back, but I’m not holding out much hope.”

The pigeon loft, complete with windows and patio doors, was built in 2006 as a replacement for Mr Sandham’s former crumbling loft on the same land.

Neighbours described it as “blot on the landscape”, but he was eventually granted retrospective planning permission and appealed against the extra costs. However, he has yet to see any of the money, which was initially estimated at £20,000.

The sum may now have increased to £40,000 due to the ongoing legal wrangle, which has lasted for more than three years.

Mr Sandham added: “If I owed the council money, they’d be chasing after me and taking me to court. But when it’s the other way round, they bury their heads.”

The stolen pigeons, which shared the loft with around 100 others, were taken between Thursday night and Friday morning. Mr Sandham has offered a £500 reward for the safe return of the birds, which are mostly of the Leen Boers variety.

Terry, sorry to hear of the latest bad news. We hold some hope that those birdies will fly home soon. We’ll keep an eye in the skies for you. Good luck.