CHURCH volunteers are looking for some help from on high to combat a pest problem.

St Mark's Church of England church in Marske, near Saltburn, East Cleveland is praying that the loan of a drone will help in its battle against pigeons that roost in its 90ft high tower.

The unusual request for the unmanned aircraft is to help with church repairs after they set to work clearing out “several hundredweight” of nesting materials.

Now they need to check they have successfully removed the nests and look for any damage to the wooden structures where the pigeons were nesting.

Given the structure’s dizzying heights, they are hoping to do this by hiring a robot drone, more usually employed by the military, to spy on the potentially destructive work of the pigeons and avoid having to hire expensive scaffolding, which would drain church funds.

"In addition to pulling out scores of pigeons' nests, we also discovered a family of grey squirrels nesting more than 60 feet up inside the tower," said Peter Sotheran, who leads the team of volunteers.

"We also need to check on the condition of the wooden louvre boards where the birds have been nesting," he added.

The 110-year-old-oak louvre boards allow the sound of the church bells and the clock chimes to sound out over the town but they also make perfect platforms for the birds build their nests on.

The moisture retained in the nesting materials and the bird droppings cause the supporting wood to deteriorate very quickly, often resulting in the need for expensive repairs.

Mr Sotheran said: "The top of the tower is not easily accessible from inside and we wondered if anyone has a radio controlled camera drone who can help us before the birds begin nesting again in the spring."

The technology behind Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, known as UAVs, was first commonly used in foreign conflicts, but is increasingly being deployed in a myriad of uses, from assessing endangered peat bogs in the Yorkshire Dales to estate agents needing aerial photographs of large properties.

Anyone who can help should contact Peter Sotheran on 01642-471662 or email; sotheran@hotmail.co.uk