A mysterious pigeon lover is feeding her feathered friends in the dead of night in an attempt to dodge a ban.

The woman has been spotted in Rayleigh town centre between 1am and 3am scattering bird seed along the High Street and under the railway bridge.

But officials are tearing their hair out trying to stop her, as the mess left by the birds is costing a fortune to clear up.

David Geach, chairman of Rayleigh Town Council, said: "For some reason this lady has got an obsession with feeding the pigeons. The mess is unsightly and it is costing residents a lot of money to clear it up."

David Timson, Rochford District Council's property maintenance and highways manager, said: "Food left for birds can cause a litter and mess problem, which eventually becomes a health issue.

"We need to make people aware of this. The council cannot keep cleaning up the mess because this one person thinks they are being kind."

"The police, district council and town council are working together to stop the woman - but they may be letting themselves in for more than just a few sleepless nights.

At a meeting of the town council's environment committee, chairman Les Jeffery said: "A man confronted her about doing this, and her husband chased him all round Websters Way car park in a car, deliberately trying to hit him."