Shoppers’ sadness as bus kills five pigeons

Aug 28 2008 by Graham Fraser, Hamilton Advertiser

A HAMILTON shopper was left distraught last week after she witnessed a bus run over five pigeons.

Madalena Brown (73), had just left the Semi-Chem store in Quarry Street at around 3.45pm last Thursday when she saw the incident.

The vehicle turned up the pedestrianised street and ran over the birds.

Mrs Brown said: “I just came out of the shop and I saw a woman sitting on one of the stone benches near R S McColl’s.

“She was throwing the birds some bread or cake.

“I saw the bus come up and then I saw the commotion afterwards.

“The driver ran over five of them.

“At first, I thought it was deliberate but in hindsight the driver probably didn’t see them.

“One of the poor things was still alive afterwards and didn't die for several minutes.

“It was just terrible.”

Mrs Brown, who is a former director of the Aveyron Day Centre in Burnbank, then flagged down a passing police car.

Buses and vans regularly drive up Quarry Street to deliver goods to traders.

The Swisscott Walk resident was just one of a number of shoppers who were upset by the accident.

The dead birds lay on the street and passers-by who had not seen the initial incident were shocked by its aftermath.