Lets work together to tackle problems with seagulls

This year, we are again reminding residents not to feed seagulls.

Seagulls are a common cause of complaint for the Council and are seen as something of a nuisance, predominantly in coastal communities, but also inland.

Now the Council is looking at ways of tackling the issue and will focus its efforts on encouraging residents and visitors not to feed seagulls.

We are also asking businesses in the county involved in the preparation of food to make sure they have adequate bins in place for their rubbish and that these bins are safely secured. We are also asking them to encourage all of their customers to dispose of food in the proper manner and not discard it on the street.

Councillor Tony Thomas, Cabinet Lead Member for Housing and the Environment, said: “We fully recognise that seagulls are part of life in all coastal communities. They have been present for many years and continue to thrive.

"However, we do get regular complaints from residents in coastal communities, as well as some of our communities inland about the dangers posed by seagulls, especially when they are attracted to food.

“There are limited options to the Council as they are a protected species.  We have tried some scare tactics similar to the angry birds and netting/ bunting being provided in some areas and to a degree they have been successful.

“What we need is the public’s support. By not feeding the seagulls and making sure food waste is covered, we can greatly reduce the amount of opportunities for the seagulls to swoop on our town centres”.