FIRST it was athletes, then footballers - now it seems even the pigeons are cheating!

But enthusiasts from across East Lancashire today insisted none of the region's birds take steroids to get them past the post first.

With prize money in excess of £20,000 for some races and thoroughbred racers fetching more than £100,000 at auction, the days of the sport's cloth cap and scarf image are over.

Now the Royal Pigeon Racing Association has started to send droppings from winning birds to South Africa to be tested for performance enhancing drugs.

It believes corrupt fanciers are turning to steroids, anabolic steroids and hormone replacements to improve their birds' chances.

Howard Akerman, secretary for the North West region of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association, keeps 110 racing and stock pigeons at his home in Darwen and has been a fancier since 1963.

He said: "We have introduced the rules for tests to be carried out throughout the country over the last eight to ten days to try to combat some people using drugs.

"The winners of races in the North West have given samples to be tested via the Horse Racing Labs in South Africa, but the majority of fanciers in the region would rarely race for anything more than to offset expenses and certainly would not resort to cheating.

"Covering distances from 80 to 700 miles the birds really are the athletes of the sky and just like other athletes there will be those who will cheat.

"Anybody who uses performance enhancing drugs should be thrown out of the sport as it is not a sport if it is the drugs that are winning the race.

"There is a lot of talk at races that a bird is on drugs if it has done well, but that is often jealousy as people don't want to admit their birds aren't as good.

"I wouldn't be surprised if all the samples from our region come back clean."

Although the nearest most fanciers get to performance-enhancing drugs is "speed-cake" - a mixture of Pearson's Old Formula and sherry given to birds before a big race - enthusiasts worry that growing interest will have a negative influence on the sport.

Peter Bryant, general manager of The Royal Pigeon Racing Association, said: "In the past we have had people say they were not happy with races and that they had suspicions that people were cheating with drugs.

"Just like any other sport there is a small determined band of cheats who are spoiling the sport for other owners.

"The first three pigeons past the post will now be tested for drugs and others will be picked randomly."