Bird-woman of Heelands angers neighbours
Residents object to mini-menagerie
Fed-up Heelands people have started a petition to evict a neighbour after she created a menagerie in her tiny front garden.
Shelly Reid of Summergill Court keeps chickens, quail, cockatiels, ferrets, parakeets and pheasants all in an enclosure at the front of her terraced house.
Unemployed Shelly says she loves animals and takes them in because noone else wants them. But her neighbours disagree and say the noise and smell is driving them mad.
Sourrel Legrande who lives opposite said: "The smell in the summer is absolutely appalling.
"They wake the kids up every morning at 5am and everyone has just had enough."
Shelly said she was unaware of any complaints and told the Citizen: "Kids come by and like to have a look and everyone seems to like it.
"I have never had any problems and I take good care of them."
Fellow Summergill Court resident Pauline Little says numerous complaints have been made to the council and RSPCA.
She says her main concern is the wellbeing of the animals.
"She believes that she is really taking care of them but she isn't capable.
"She rarely cleans them out and when she does she leaves the rubbish and faeces in the kids' park."
An RSPCA spokesman told the Citizen that Miss Reid is being investigated by the organisation, Milton Keynes Council Trading Standards and the police.
Matthew Barnes, senior environmental health officer at Milton Keynes Council said: "We are aware of the situation at the property.
"We have been working closely with our partners such as police and RSPCA and are currently conducting an investigating on how to resolve this issue as soon as possible."
>> Like this story and love MK? Take a look at the online versions of our newspapers - click here to access Tuesday's Citizen First, and here to see Thursday's Milton Keynes Citizen.
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Weather for Milton Keynes
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
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