Rail chiefs at Edinburgh's Waverley Station have brought in a pair of robot falcons to frighten off problem pigeons.

Network Rail has paid £9000 to have the robot peregrines put in above the roof of the station, which has been plagued by pigeons and gulls for 150 years.

The plastic predators are programmed to swivel their heads, flap their wings and give out calls to strike fear into their prey.

John Donald of Robop, the East Lothian company which makes the birds, said: "Most raptors hunt down small animals like voles, but peregrines live off other birds, so pigeons and seagulls are terrified of them.

" Robop has been designed to look, move and sound like a real peregrine falcon in order to cause the same reaction as the real bird.

"Our objective is to firstly cause a panic reaction so that the pest birds will fly away.

"We also want to convey to birds that a peregrine falcon has taken up residence in their territory, so there is no point in returning."

Robop has installed hand-built birds all over the world, including at the All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon and an airport in Amsterdam.

A Network Rail spokesman said: "There are a number of reasons why we try to deter pigeons, health and safety reasons primarily. If we didn't act to keep numbers in check, the station environment would quickly become very unpleasant and could lead to slips and falls. "