WONDERFUL news for the councillors of Wycombe over their plan to cull pigeons.

It appears they are in auspicious company. Word reaches me that the powers-that-be in Barcelona have a similar but even more ambitious plan to exterminate the birds.

The council in the Spanish city has apparently put out to tender a contract to remove almost 65,000 of the creatures over the next 18 months. This is 25 per cent of the city’s pigeon population which has been described there as a ‘plague’.

Animal lovers are upset and there is a petition of 605 people against the plan.

This compares to one of 400 in Wycombe – a place considerably smaller.

So does this mean our councillors will now drop Kelkheim in Germany and twin High Wycombe instead with the more high-profile Barcelona?

If they did that, they can all fly over to each other’s countries regularly and have pigeon culling workshops. I visited Barcelona a few years ago and I don’t recollect any pigeon trouble. However, I do recall seeing loads of concrete balls of the same type and size found in High Wycombe High Street. I remember remarking at the time in my column that the towns looked remarkably like each other as a result. Or maybe the balls were in Madrid? Can’t remember and can’t find any reference on the internet.

So I’d be grateful for any reader who can email me at scohen@london.newsquest to put me straight on this important issue.

And who knows, if we can copy Spain with concrete balls and pigeon culling, we may even copy them and go on to win the next World Cup? But then again, maybe not..