Feral pigeons

@Jiffy This is a touchy subject. That quote I put up came from a Local Authority website but it specifically says "if it causes upset or inconvenience" so is open to interpretation - which local authorities do in their own way.

It is an offence under the Highways Act 1980 Section 161(2) to discharge any firearm or firework within 50 feet of the centre of a highway which is a carriageway, with the consequence that a user of the carriageway is injured, interrupted or endangered.

Carriageway is normally accepted to mean a path on which any vehicle can be used to carry people.

Some authorities have successfully prosecuted people for doing this within 50ft of a footpath or bridleway if they say they allow cyclists to travel on them - which most do. So they normally include bridleways and footpaths in their guidelines.

Upset and inconvenience come under 'interrupted or endangered'.

 

Hello @Jiffy my friend "better to be born lucky than rich" my old gran used to tell me

 

@wiseowl one of my school teachers said that it's 'even better to be born lucky and rich' but if you aren't you can always try and work towards it.

He did add 'you won't achieve either of them if you don't stop lazing around and get your finger out!'

 

Is your bike faster than a shotgun pellet?

 

I was only quoting from a County Council website and from the government's DEFRA website.

The bit about interpretation came directly from a discussion with an Environmental Health Officer as I happened to be in a (social) meeting with him (and others). He made some interesting, off the record, comments as well.

He said that in his Authority they have instructions to investigate any complaint about air rifles and interpret the complaint as being one reporting a 'nuisance' (he thinks that the Chief Executive's cat had been hit by a slug at some time!). This possibly infraction normally results in a friendly chat with the gun owner but has ended up in court three times in his 20 years in the job.

Whereas in the next Authority they only investigate if there has been damage, injury or threat. The last two of those three are passed immediately to the police.