New seagull action plan for Borough of Scarborough next year
The Council says it is trying to reduce muggings and attacks on people
A new strategy has been developed to minimise public nuisance caused by seagulls in the Borough of Scarborough.
The Council says it is trying to reduce muggings and attacks on people as it has been working on various plans over the last six years.
The new one is coming into effect from March next year with some actions continuing from the current scheme.
Jonathan Bramley, head of environments and regulation services at the authority, said:
"We'll continue with the programme of responsive and targetted street cleaning which was first introduced this year during the breeding season. I think it's been well received that they've used it to do some targetted cleaning around the Borough to clear out seagull mess on streets, pavements and street furniture.
"We're going to continue the seagull property proofing scheme and so far we've property proofed 14 properties across Filey, Scarborough and Whitby around the seafront and town centre areas, where our data shows seagull muggings are most prevalent.
"We want to do more promotional work around the habitats, behaviours and the eating patterns of the two types of seagulls that we see in our coastal areas. So we would like to go into some primary schools and talk to some of the children and perhaps link in with their national curriculum.
"We're also thinking of putting out some key messages, talk to some supplies of cardboard boxes that people get their chips in, to put some messages like 'don't drop your litter' and 'don't feed the seagulls', because those are the two key messages that we want the public to take on board.
"Please don't drop your litter, find a public bin, there are plenty of them about and don't leave it on seats or on the beach and obviously seagulls, their food isn't chips and fish. Yes, they will eat it but it's probably not good for them in the long run, so don't feed the seagulls."