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Birds trapped in disused Macduff building safely released

The Steamie in Macduff closed over a decade ago. Picture supplied by Google Maps.
The Steamie in Macduff closed over a decade ago. Picture supplied by Google Maps.

Birds trapped in a disused shop in Macduff’s Skene Street have been successfully released by the Scottish SPCA.

Crews attended on Thursday and were able to gain entry, rescuing the remaining live birds.

The bird had been locked in The Steamie, a former dry cleaners that permanently closed more than a decade ago.

Birds reportedly trapped for past week

It was reported that the birds had been in the building for the past week, with one source saying three were lying dead at the shop door.

While unable to enter the building, the Scottish SPCA were feeding them and providing them with water through the letterbox.

David Duguid’s office was informed of the situation.

Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid  was among those who reported the birds in distress to the Scottish SPCA.

He said: “I am thankful to the Scottish SPCA for attending this incident and rescuing the trapped animals.

“It is sad and concerning that some of these birds did not survive and I gather it has been difficult to reach the property owner to gain access.

“My office made contact with the Scottish SPCA on Wednesday evening and thankfully the birds were rescued the next morning.

“The Scottish SPCA reported to my office the disrepair of the property in Skene Street and it is clear that it could present a public health hazard.

“I have therefore contacted the leader of Aberdeenshire Council [Mark Findlater] to see if any enforcement action can be taken to secure the property and prevent further incidents.”

‘Inspector gained access to the property’

A spokeswoman for the SSPCA said: “An inspector gained access to the property yesterday and removed the birds.”

In February, plans were submitted to Aberdeenshire Council to change the use of the building from class 1 (shop) to class 6 (storage), which was approved by the authority last month.

In June 2021, plans to demolish the building, along with an adjacent one on Market Street in order to build 15 flats were rejected.

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