THE elderly bird lover ordered by Harrow Council to stop feeding the birds in her garden has been told she can carry on.

As reported in the Harrow Times last month, Hilda Mason, 82, of Beresford Road, Harrow, received a standard written warning from the environmental health department following a complaint from a neighbour who claimed she was attracting vermin. No-one from the council made any attempt to contact her to check the truth of the allegation.

When her daughter, Eileen Burton of Radnor Road, Harrow, wrote to the council to complain about the heavy-handed threats of legal action in the letter, an environmental health officer offered to visit Hilda to explain the council's approach.

But Eileen phoned the officer to reiterate her objections to the tone of the standard letter, and that the council had taken the word of a neighbour without checking the facts.

A council spokeswoman said it was amending the letter to highlight its key purpose, inviting the recipient to discuss the issue.

"We welcome feedback, positive or negative, from residents, as this enables us to strive to provide continuing improvements to the quality of service," she said.

"Although we do not provide formal guidance on the feeding of wild birds, which brings pleasure to many residents, it is reasonable for residents to use a feeder to avoid overfeeding and spillage.

"We ask residents not to scatter large quantities of feed on the ground, whether in private gardens or public areas, to avoid encouraging pests."

Hilda, who was "devastated" by the original letter, said that her daughter was told by the officer that she could begin to feed the birds again "in moderation".

"I'm happy about that," she said.