This is why Portsmouth commuters might see a hawk in London Waterloo

Bosses at the UK's busiest railway station have recruited a hawk to scare off pigeons following a spate of complaints from passengers.
Aria the Harris hawk. Picture: Network Rail/PA WireAria the Harris hawk. Picture: Network Rail/PA Wire
Aria the Harris hawk. Picture: Network Rail/PA Wire

Aria will be the first bird of prey to patrol London Waterloo in 18 months.

There are 27 food and drink retailers at the Network Rail-managed station, and many customers have complained about pigeons pecking at food and leaving a mess.

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Recent TripAdvisor reviews of the station's venues include a warning about '˜loads of pigeons flapping around whilst you are trying to eat' and a description of someone having to '˜fight pigeons for my food'.

Aria the Harris hawk. Picture: Network Rail/PA WireAria the Harris hawk. Picture: Network Rail/PA Wire
Aria the Harris hawk. Picture: Network Rail/PA Wire
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Another visitor even suggested passengers should '˜bring a fly swat for the pigeons'.

Harris hawk Aria, aged five, will be on duty at the station twice a week for two-hour shifts.

She was raised in St Albans and has previously been deployed by London King's Cross station and the Treasury to keep pigeons away.

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Jason Murphy, Waterloo area manager for Network Rail, said: '˜Pigeons can be a real nuisance for people using the station. They also cause a lot of mess which needs cleaning up at some expense.

'˜Aria's work is really important in making the station a better place for our passengers, while saving us money on our cleaning bills.

'˜She's a very hard worker and we're delighted to have her as part of the station team here at Waterloo.'

Aria handler, Max Bell, said: '˜Aria really enjoys the environment at Waterloo and is delighted to be here.

'˜She does a great job and often likes to reward herself with a relaxing bath in the puddles that gather on the rain shelters over the platforms.'