In a shocking turn of events, a 76 year old bird lover has been slapped with a hefty £2,000 bill after his daily ritual of feeding the birds was blamed for a vermin crisis in Hartlepool. Brian Wilkins, known fondly as the 'Bird Man of Hartlepool', faced the music at Teeside Magistrates' Court and was convicted of snubbing a Community Protection Order, which aimed to curb his avian-feeding habit that had councillors in a flap.

Paula Allison, Wilkins' daughter, asserts her father tried dodging the no-go zones but couldn't give up his cherished pastime. The court was told that Wilkins had dispersed an "excessive amounts" of bird feed across multiple areas, including the town centre, hauling it in a trolley. Wilkins admitted to the deed yet contended he had a "reasonable excuse", arguing that without his help, the birds would suffer from hunger.

However, the bench heard complaints from local businesses such as Middleton Grange Shopping Centre and Camerons Brewery, which witnessed a rodent population surge due to the bread bonanza. Wilkins’ summons highlighted his disregard for pleas and advice to cut out the feeding frenzy, resulting in a continuous draw for pests, and thus "significantly impacting the quality of life" for locals.

He has been ordered to cough up £250 in fines and £1,826 in costs for his actions, deemed by the authorities as "unreasonable." However, his daughter Paula, 57, defended her father, saying the local community stands behind him and his desire to aid the birds.

She explained: "He's overjoyed to see them enjoying the food. It saddens him because of the lack of food because of the lesser and lesser green areas and the removal of their food sources because of human expansion. It's more of a commitment than an enjoyment. All he spends his pension on is bread and seeds.

"He used to work but now he doesn't have a car. He's restricted. As he's gotten older, he's had nothing else to do. He used to go dancing but now he's got out of society, practically. I don't know how many years he's been doing this for. They are trying to say my dad's the cause of rats, but that's rubbish - they have been around for ages.

"One woman came up to us the other day and said, 'The people of Hartlepool back you in this'. He's not harming anybody. He's just feeding the animals."