Tell council if gulls have targeted you
Residents who have been affected by seagulls locally in the last year are being asked to share their experiences with Bath and North East Somerset Council.
The authority is gathering evidence about the impact of gulls for an application to Natural England for a licence to control their populations in urban areas.
Herring gulls and lesser blackbacked gulls are regularly seen in urban areas in BANES and are protected by law.
It is illegal to injure the birds, eggs and their nests without consent from Natural England.
The body only issues licences to allow interference with nests and eggs in specific situations and applications for licences must demonstrate that action is needed to protect public health or safety.
In order to gather evidence that there is a real need for controlling gull populations in BANES, residents are invited to submit their views online.
Gull nests in BANES used to be treated under licence from Natural England until the council’s renewed licence application was declined in 2020.
Due to rural population declines, Natural England’s approach became stricter and relatively few licences for lethal control were issued in 2020.
Since then, the council has not been able to carry out further treatments.
Councillor Paul Crossley, cabinet member for Community Services, said: “Gulls in our cities and towns can cause pose a risk to public health and safety, creating a health risk through fouling.
“Their nest debris can block pipes and guttering, which attracts parasites and increases building maintenance costs.
“We want to mitigate the impact of gulls on our residents and businesses and have been looking for a solution since our licence from Natural England was not renewed.”
He added: “We are looking for information from residents about whether they have suffered illeffects from gull activity.
“Perhaps you have been attacked by a gull or your health has been affected from living near areas where gulls are particularly active.
“This is going to be really useful information that will help us tackle gull issues effectively in the near future, so please share your experiences with us.”
If the council is successful in securing a licence, treatments could recommence in May and residents will be able to book a treatment online.
Responses to the survey should be submitted before the end of this month.