CONTRACTORS have repaired a supermarket roof after pigeons were left trapped and dying above a store entrance.

Horrified customers said they saw the dead birds dangling above their head as they entered Tesco in Church Road, Hove, in August.

Pictures of the dead birds were shown on social media and activists from Brighton Animal Rights Collective staged a protest with signs saying “Tesco kills pigeons”.

The RSPCA was also called over concerns and said it urged the store to tackle the problem as a priority.

Now Tesco says work has been carried out to prevent birds accessing the roof space.

The building has a gap above its store sign and a curved soffit above where birds had gone to make their nests.

The company said the netting was in place as a safety and hygiene issue to prevent bird faeces falling on customers.

The Argus: Dead pigeons were seen trapped in the nettingDead pigeons were seen trapped in the netting

In August, shopper Vicky Martin from Hove spoke to The Argus about the “nasty sight” of seeing the dead pigeons when visiting the store with her grandmother.

She said: “I first noted the netting was covered in faeces and a guard told me the pigeons were inside being eaten alive by ravens that had taken up residence there.

“We saw it happening as we walked out of the shop, so I reported it to customer services.

“Then a few weeks later I could see four pigeons stuck.

“It really upsets my nan to see the poor things like that.

“I don’t think shoppers should be seeing it when they are going to get their food.”

Another shopper said: “It’s horrific.

“I feel very strongly about it, I’m not shopping there any more.

“What does it say about our humanity when something like this can happen?”

The Argus: Work has been carried out at the Tesco store in Church Road, HoveWork has been carried out at the Tesco store in Church Road, Hove

The RSPCA said it receives 2,000 calls about animals trapped in netting every year.

It said: “There are some circumstances where netting can be an effective means of keeping birds off structures, however, it’s vitally important that any netting is properly installed and maintained and it must be monitored.

“If netting is not checked and maintained, there is a risk of birds suffering and dying from injury or starvation.”

READ MORE: Tesco Hove scraps netting after uproar over dead pigeons

Tesco said: “We have recently carried out works at Hove superstore to repair damaged ceiling panels and prevent pigeons from accessing the roof space.”