Council officers are having to patrol Kingsland Road to stop a man from diving into bins and tipping food waste onto the pavement for pigeons.

The man has been seen every morning for four months walking along the road from Shoreditch to Haggerston and rummaging around in the blocks’ communal bins.

He then dumps any food he finds on the pavement to feed the birds. The issue has now been reported to the town hall – which said the man could face a fine or even prosecution if he doesn’t stop.

Neighbour Carlos Lopez, who has asked the man to stop numerous times, says it’s created a real problem with pigeons and mice.

“Our garden terrace has been invaded by pigeons and is constantly covered by pigeon droppings,” he said. “This was never a problem before – the issue coincided with the man in question appearing in the vicinity.

“Additionally, mice have also started to appear in our building, which was never a problem before.

“The man in question rips every bin bag in our communal bins every day, and any food he finds he spreads onto the street, which, besides being disgusting, has become a nightmare for our area.”

Carlos says it’s not just his building affected, and that the man walks up the road “diving in every bin possible” and dumping food.

He added: “On the couple of occasions I have come across the said man on the street, I have spoken to him, asking him to stop this practice.

“Unfortunately he does not seem to understand why he should stop and continues doing so.

“The first time I asked him what he was doing he said he was looking for food, and I thought it was for him. I thought he must be really desperate.”

A council spokesman said: “The act of removing waste from the bin and depositing it on the floor is a littering offence under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

“We are sending uniformed enforcement officers to patrol the area. If they see anyone littering they may be issued with a fixed penalty notice or face prosecution in the magistrates Court.

“If the behaviour continues other formal enforcement action will be considered.”