A number of residents have contacted me about problems with seagulls in in our area.

Although gulls clearly cause problems, councils have no special powers to take action against them. Only the owners or occupiers of land and buildings, or someone acting on their behalf, can take action against nesting gulls.

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes is illegal to capture, injure or destroy any wild bird, or interfere with its nest or eggs. Penalties can be severe. The law also provides a general licence system, which allows property owners to take action against gulls nesting on buildings by destroying nests or eggs. This licence system can only be used for the purpose of preserving public health, public safety and preventing the spread of disease and is specifically for the control of Herring, Great Black Backed and Lesser Black Backed gulls. If action is taken for any other reason, or if other species of gull are targeted, then an offence is committed.

Find out more about urban gulls here.

Please do not feed gulls

One thing we can all do to discourage gulls is not feed them. If you are putting out food for birds, please use a bird feeder that excludes gulls.

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