• See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source

A grandfather dubbed the 'Bird Man of Hartlepool' is facing prison after a council complained that his habit of feeding breadcrumbs to pigeons was attracting vermin.

Brian Wilkins, 78, will stand trial after his local authority prosecuted him following a slew of complaints from neighbours and businesses near his home.

Mr Wilkins buys 30 loaves of bread every day and feeds a variety of local wildlife, including pigeons and seagulls.

He has ignored repeated warnings from the borough council that throwing down food for the pigeons in the County Durham town had attracted rats.

The bird lover was issued with a Community Protection Notice in 2023 followed by a Criminal Behaviour Order by Hartlepool Council, but Mr Wilkins, by his own admission, continued feeding the birds.

At Teesside Magistrates' Court on Monday afternoon he appeared before the bench to deny that he twice breached the April 2025 order 'without reasonable excuse, dropping breadcrumbs'.

Mr Wilkins said he understood the charges and opted for a trial before a jury. The two-day case has been set for September 15 at Teesside Crown Court.

Brian Wilkins, 78, from Hartlepool, County Durham, is facing prison after his council complained his habit of feeding breadcrumbs to pigeons was attracting vermin

The bird lover was issued with a Community Protection Notice in 2023 followed by a Criminal Behaviour Order but has - by his own admission - continued feeding the birds

Mr Wilkins says local birds - including hordes of pigeons and seagulls - will starve to death if he does not feed them

After the hearing, he said: 'I asked to be tried by a jury of my peers because I think that's the right way to go.

'I am humbled by the amount of support I've had from Hartlepudlian people who can see no harm in what I am doing, which is to prevent creatures from starving to death.

'I am denying the charge because it is against English law to allow the suffering of birds and animals and I'm simply trying to ensure they don't starve.

'It's for the council to control the rat population, I'm afraid that is incumbent on them, not me.'

If convicted, Mr Wilkins faces a potential prison term, but said he is determined to fight the council's rulings against him.

Last year he was ordered to pay a £250 fine, £1,826.73 in costs and a £100 surcharge, along with the stricter order.

Hartlepool Borough Council's pest control services said the pensioner's actions had hindered its efforts to control rat populations in several locations, including close to a primary school.

The council said the issue had 'a detrimental effect on the quality of life of residents'.

The council said it had wanted to resolve the situation informally, adding: 'Although legal action is very much a last resort, his failure to co-operate has left us with no other option,' a spokesperson said.

'We have a duty to safeguard public health in the wider community and Mr Wilkins' continued actions have led to numerous recurring complaints about rats from businesses and individual residents.'