“There is a method of deterring gulls which involves stretching nylon wires across the streets. You don't need a lot - just enough to make it difficult for them to swoop down and up. It does not injure them, simply bothers them to the extent that they leave. Once the gulls have gone you can remove the wires. I did pass this idea on to Cllr Hedges, having been told by an American visitor how successful it was there, but nothing seems to have come of it.

There is another cause of the gulls being here. Incredible as it may seem, there are some deluded people out there who go to the trouble of feeding them regularly. I was in town one evening and saw the gulls all hanging around the High Street. It soon became evident why, as a little old man came down armed with bags and bags of bread to feed them. They were clearly expecting him. This sort of behaviour should attract a penalty as it now does in Bristol - up to £2500.”

“I salute Bookers, well done, its about time someone from this town took a stand as we are over run by this aerial nuisance. I saw a guy step outside Greggs the Bakers, open his purchase to eat, then swoop, down came a Gull within an inch of his face for yet another free meal, a passer by commented " You nearly lost that one" It's about time B&NES took a leaf out of Bookers, book and rid the City of Bath of attacks, filth and terrible screeching”

“MESSAGE RECEIVED LOUD AND CLEAR CLLR HEDGES. A week after the Chronicle highlighted that the seagull population in Bath doubled between 2001 and 2007 the Chronicle reports Councillor Steve Hedges (Lid Dem ¿ member of the council working group) as wondering what message will the culling (by Booker) of some gulls in the Bellotts Rd area sends to the general public. I think the main message for the general public is that this private company is more in tune with public opinion than some (perhaps all) of our council members and that if Cllr Hedges is representative of the gull working group then it is no wonder that gull numbers are escalating out of control.
If Cllr Hedges thinks culling these pests is a bad thing then maybe he can stand on a pro-gull ticket at the next council election ¿ the electorate will undoubtedly send him a very clear message”

“Looking at the alliterative headline, you have to hope they never do a piece on breeding mallards!”

“I think the factories and warehouses by the tow path at Brassmill Lane could learn from Bookers.

I get fed walking along the tow path and getting divebombed by the wretched gulls. I've also been sat in the beer garden at The Dolphin pub and seen people (including young children) being attacked. The horrible creatures even swoop down on people sat at the tables in the beer garden.”

“Brilliant post, Matt, I totally agree with you.

The RSPB say that the gulls should not be removed merely because they are deemed 'a nuisance'. Oh, so we should continue to put up with their deafening racket 18 hours per day, and be dive-bombed by them, and simply do nothing?

And our ordinary garden birds seem to disappear each summer when the gulls are around. Does the RSPB think gulls need more protection than smaller birds?


If the only grounds for lawfully removing them are 'health and safety', well, I'd say that the sleep deprivation caused by being woken at 4 am every morning is very much a health issue.
I loved the claim that Cllr Steve Hedges sits on the Council's 'gull working group - what an oxymoron, because their strategies
are not working; 'egg-oiling' and flying a plastic falcon over the city centre are woefully inadequate. Considering how many gulls there are screeching and squawking all day in Bath city centre and the immediate environs, why on earth does the Council believe that its measures are having any effect?

Incidentally, we keep being told that it is illegal to kill gulls (or any other birds) because of the 1981 Countryside and Wildlife Act. The urban gull problem did not exist 28 years ago when this law was enacted, so it needs to be amended.

In the meantime, Cllr Hedges, don'y try and blame the Government for the Gull problem. Useless though the Government is, the remedy is in BANES Council''s hands. Do what Bookers have done, and get a private company in to remove the gulls (only a few of them were kiled, it seems, so this seemed a relatively humane method, for those who seem weirdly concerned about the awful gulls' welfare).

I just don't think our Council has the courage to deal with this problem properly.

Well done to Bookers, both for listening to residents' concerns, and for actually doing something about the gull problem. If only our pathetic Council would do the same,”

“Kim - don't forget that the council are causing the litter problem by making people put their bin bags out by 7am, which means most people put the bags out the night before. Rich pickings for the foxes, cats and even hedgehogs. And at 4am the gulls wake up with their screaching and they then start on the bin bags.”

“Congratulations to Cllr Steve Hedges who really has hit the nail on the head - "I am concerned that what they have done will show that this is okay - and what message will that give to the general public?" I can tell you councillor - it tells this particular member of the general public that there is somebody out there who has assessed a problem called in a registered authority to deal with it, within the law, and has done it in a timely manner. This is of course something that the council has failed to grasp over an ever increasing muber of years and watched rather lamely as the problem exacerbates. Oh and of course it's the government's fault - no it isn't as both Bookers and the RSPB agree that it was legal. Go on - get some spine and deal with it as that is what you are there to do, i.e. what the elctorate want if you had forgotten. I wonder if the management team at Booker's fancy running this council for a while - we might actually make some progress in the city?”

“So they "resettled" the birds and culled the ones that came back? So where exactly did they resettle them - are we talking Weston Super Mare or Homebase here. Anyway seems like the solution to the problem is to chase all the gulls (back?) to Bookers and let them deal with them!”

“Gulls, pigeons, rats, foxes etc. have become scavengers and I believe that's down to us humans. We leave food waste and rubbish everywhere so it's hardly surprising these creatures no longer feel the need to hunt and forage when we provide everything they could want and more. To be honest they often do a good job of tidying up or streets on a Friday and Saturday night when the pubs and clubs kick out and the takeaways get busy. I know this doesn't relate to Bookers but I can't help thinking it us that needs to take more of the blame sometimes rather than use culling as the quick answer...”