Outrage has swept across a community after cockerels were banned from allotments after ‘noise complaints’ were made about their loud crowing.
Reform-run Durham County Council has banned the birds from allotments next year and their owners have urged them to reverse the ruling for fears it could lead to a culling of roosters.
Nearly 1,000 residents have signed a petition to block the ban, prompting the council to promise that it would be ‘considering the concerns’ of those offended.
Those who don’t comply face potential eviction by the local authority, and Tom Amos, 41, and his son Tom Barker Amos, 14, aren’t having it.
They have kept their rooster Brian on their allotment in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, for all three years of its life.
The new policy would end Brian’s residency and the father and son believe that many cockerels like him could face being killed or abandoned on the streets.
Tom senior said: ‘These cockerels are not just animals; they are an integral part of my life. They have been there through thick and thin, providing joy and a sense of purpose.
‘However, a recent blanket ban on cockerels by the Durham County Council threatens to tear this cherished aspect of our lives apart.’
It was Tom who began the petition, defending the rare, native chicken bloodlines they have cultivated for many years now, he said.
The pair keep Orpington chickens, which they say are quite rare these days, and added that many chickens will ‘die out’ in the next few years if the Council goes through with the ban.
Tom wrote on the petition: ‘There hasn’t been any concrete evidence presented to demonstrate that cockerels are causing any excessive harm or nuisance.
‘Instead, they bring vibrancy and a connection to nature that is invaluable. We believe they should not be subjected to such broad restrictions without proper consideration and engagement with plot holders.’
He added that many roosters affected by the ban ‘would have to be euthanised’ as he says rescuers are ‘struggling to rehome’ the birds as it is.
Tom continued: ‘The council plots were established with the objective of promoting mental well-being, and for a lot of us, cockerels are a crucial part of that equation.’
David Watson, 37, also keeps cockerels in Bishop Aukland and is trying desperately to rehome his birds.
He has kept roosters all his life, ending up with nearly 80 different breeds – travelling across the continent to buy different rare ones. No all his hard work has ‘gone down the drain’ due to the ban, he said.
Darlington Bird Rescue has come out to echo the warnings of Tom Amos and his son saying the ‘blanket ban’ would increase the ‘rate of dumpings across Durham’.
Other councils have implemented similar bans historically, like Wakefield, West Yorkshire, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, Mansfield and Nottinghamshire all introducing bans since the pandemic.
Durham’s ban was finalised in March this year and will have a one-year grace period until it comes into effect on March 18, 2027.
The Council has said that cockerels had already been ‘generally prohibited’ but the new policy was only ending exceptions following ‘complaints about noise and nuisance from cockerels’.
However, because of the reaction, Ian Hoult, the council’s neighbourhood protection manager the council would be ‘considering these (concerns) carefully’.
The Daily Mail has contacted Durham County Council for a comment.
